Vetrnaetr
by E.Wills
Summary: Every relationship has its growing pains. How will Hiccup's responsibilities as future chief and the upcoming seasonal festivities complicate things? Rated M for...I don't even know. Thinly alluded to adult themes, I guess? Maybe some mild language? Or whatever. I changed the title since I came across another fic by the same name, so there's no confusion. [Hiccstrid]
1. On The Outside, Looking In

**Author's Note:** Hello again, internet. Now that my pilot Hicctsrid fic is complete, I can continue on expanding their relationship as I have previously defined…or rather, _not_ defined it. That means M ratings, people! Goody, _goody_. I can't get too explicit, though. Some of you may already know I wrote a follow-up fic to my first one that contained some lemon. I immediately got slapped on the hand by some moderators, the lemon Nazis, or whatever. So, that's the end of _that_. It's a shame, though. I felt what I wrote was rather tame compared to a lot of crazy mature content you can find on this website—but I digress!

This story takes place maybe a 3 or 4 months after the epilogue of my first story. I'd imagine Hiccup and Astrid are both 18, now. I don't think you need to have read my first story to follow this one, but I would be ever so appreciative if you did! Or maybe you do have to read it, and I'm just being terribly optimistic about the whole thing?

**Disclaimer: ** I don't own HTTYD or the books, movies, TV show, or anything else officially pertaining to it. This fic is rated M for some mild language, suggestive themes…and oh, yeah! There might be some non-explicit, _thinly alluded to_ adult situations. Hooray! But I'm not bitter or anything…

00000000

Hiccup could tell the seasons were changing again, even though there had never been much of a difference between autumn and winter on Berk. In fact, there only ever seemed to be two seasons—winter and summer. For three glorious months, the sun shone most of the day, graciously basking the Isle of Berk in its radiant warmth for all to enjoy. The remainder of the year however, transitioned between a brisk 'oh Thor, I can't feel my face!' and 'take a breath outside and your lungs will freeze'. The nights grew longer, the days shorter, and the biting cold settled over the archipelago with no intention of relenting any time soon.

Hiccup shivered involuntarily and buried even deeper into his blankets, shielding himself from the morning's chill that crept in, uninvited, through his bedroom window. He heard a small growl, and he slowly opened one eye to see a massive lump rummaging around under the covers. It was making its way toward the head of the bed. He smiled to himself as Sharpshot's head popped up from underneath the blankets. The tiny dragon turned in a circle three times before snuggling up against his side, taking care to remain as covered up as possible. Sharpshot made a contented sound.

"You're welcome," Hiccup mumbled; he did not often allow his Terrible Terror to sleep in his bed—it made Toothless _jealous. _

As a matter of fact, he heard a disapproving rumble come from the Night Fury's side of the room.

"I'm sorry, bud. Sharpshot's…quite a bit _smaller_ than you are," Hiccup replied, stifling a yawn.

Toothless lowered his head onto his scaly claws, looking put out. Hiccup sighed heavily.

"Gets me_ every_ time," he muttered, sitting up on the edge of the bed.

Sharpshot hissed in protest and immediately rolled around inside the blankets, wrapping himself up and settling in the spot Hiccup's body had kept warm.

Hiccup reached for his prosthetic leg, which he kept on top of the wooden chest where he stored his riding leathers, and various other garb. He deftly fastened it to the stump of his left leg before cautiously bearing weight on it, making sure it was secure. The design had come a long way since first one he had built for himself—not including the adjustments he had made to Gobber's handiwork. This leg was lighter so it did not cause him quite as much discomfort as his older prosthetic. It felt more natural and the measurements had become more precise to help his gait; he often forgot he even had a prosthetic anymore.

He rose to his feet and stretched out his right shoulder, which seemed to ache more now that the temperature had dropped. He gently kneaded the stiff muscles with his other hand, feeling a faint burning sensation that radiated down his arm to his fingertips. He frowned, knowing that there would always be some residual nerve damage that even time would not overcome. Considering how bad the injury _had_ been however, he was very pleased with how well ithad healed. More than anything, he was just happy it did not hamper his ability to fly with Toothless.

"Okay, bud. We'll go flying as soon as I get my riding gear on," Hiccup told the Night Fury.

Toothless perked upon mention of the "f-word", watching him get dressed with wide, rounded pupils. He fidgeted impatiently, and Hiccup laughed softly.

"So _spoiled_."

00000

Astrid sat atop Stormfly, watching the morning skies carefully for any sign of a certain Night Fury and his rider. She could see her breath swirling through the frigid air, which was not surprising considering a thin blanket of frost had coated the entire village overnight. The sun was just now beginning to rise, reflecting off the tiny ice crystals, causing the ground to twinkle like a blanket of stars. It really was quite beautiful, even if her fingers had long since gone numb. She hoped she did not have to wait much longer. There was never really a set time when Hiccup and Toothless went flying, but it was usually early, and it was as sure a thing as the sunrise itself.

She had not exactly told Hiccup that she planned on flying with him that morning, but in the recent weeks, he had just been so busy. Astrid hoped to share some time alone with him while she could. Stoick the Vast was keeping him occupied during the days, insisting that Hiccup shadow him and start making a greater effort to learn the ropes of chief. There was a silver lining, however. As occupied as he was during the day, Hiccup still made plenty of time for her at night.

Visiting him in the evenings used to be out of necessity, when she would tend to his still-healing wounds. Now it was for another, much sweeter reason. They were _lovers_—the very idea of it giving Astrid pleasant little tingles all over. They had only become intimate over the past few months, but now it was all too easy to be wrapped up in daydreams—memories of their nights together. When she closed her eyes she could see the lustful, half-lidded express he so often wore as they lay bare and entwined, sweat-slicked skin moving together so—Astrid mentally slapped herself. She allowed Hiccup too much control over her thoughts, but she would never tell him that.

Stormfly suddenly let out a loud squawk and Astrid glanced up to see a familiar black dragon take to the sky.

"_Finally! _Let's go, girl!" she said excitedly, gently nudging the Nadder with her heels.

Stormfly stretched out her wings and then they were airborne, trailing after Hiccup and Toothless as fast as she could go. Thankfully, Toothless did not reach top speed during leisurely flying, or it would have been a lost cause.

"Hiccup!" Astrid called when he was finally within earshot.

The other dragon rider glanced over his shoulder at the sound of his name. A smile lit up his face as soon as he saw her.

"Astrid! What are you doing up here, so early?" he asked curiously.

"I knew you were going to go flying at some point this morning. I hoped to catch you before breakfast," she explained, maneuvering Stormfly right alongside Toothless.

"So you're _stalking_ me now?" Hiccup teased, quirking an eyebrow.

"No, Hiccup. You're just that predictable," she replied, grinning.

"That's not what you said to me last night, if I recall correctly."

Astrid's face grew hot, and it seemed like she just could not kick that blushing habit, try as she might. She just chose to ignore his comment, before he had the chance to become insufferably smug about it. If there was one thing she had not anticipated about making love, it was the resulting inflation of Hiccup's ego whenever the subject was breached.

"As much as I enjoy our late night rendezvous, I wanted to make the most of some daylight hours," she explained, and Hiccup quirked an eyebrow suggestively. "For _other_ things!" she added firmly—she would have smacked him had he been within an arm's reach.

Astrid had to admit that she missed the flying and just spending time together with him, laughing and talking…but that just seemed far too sentimental to say aloud.

"I'm sorry I've been so busy lately," Hiccup apologized, sounding much more serious. "My dad doesn't seem to care that I have other priorities."

"Like slacking off? Exploring uncharted reaches of the archipelago?...Making out with me?"

"I was going to say running the academy, keeping Berk safe…and _possibly_ making out with you, if I can work it in to my schedule," he replied, with a shrug.

Astrid playfully rolled her eyes in mock annoyance.

"I just think that my dad—ah, never mind," Hiccup said, shaking his head.

It was too late for that. Astrid's interest was definitely piqued. For as much as Hiccup could talk—about dragons, especially—he rarely divulged anything too personal, even to her. He kept his more vulnerable emotions guarded, most of the time. Astrid often had to dig and pry to get Hiccup to be forthcoming. It was like that time, years ago, when she had badgered him until he confessed the true reason he could not bring himself to kill Toothless. Every time since had been no different—except maybe their Dragon Island shouting match a few months ago, where they had love-hated their way into the vaguely defined relationship they now enjoyed.

"Hiccup_, tell _me," Astrid demanded, flying Stormfly even closer to suggest that she was not going to leave him alone about it.

"Forget it," he replied, dismissively. "It's not important."

She just continued to stare at him expectantly. He responded with an aggravated groan.

"_What_ is with the preoccupation with my feelings, all of a sudden?" he asked, defensively.

"Oh, no reason…other than the fact that I kind of like you, so I kind of give a damn," she replied, frowning.

Hiccup sighed heavily and turned his gaze towards the clouds floating above them. He seemed lost in thought for a moment, and it was a look Astrid knew well. She often wondered where he escaped to on those little mental journeys of his, and if she would ever be privileged enough to tag along.

Finally, he said, "I feel like my dad is forcing me to put all this time and effort into learning to be chief because he has a certain…expectation. It's like he has this vision of the chief he wants me to be, and the more he keeps me away from everything else, the easier it is for him to shape me into some sort of smaller version of himself."

"Maybe you're just looking at it the wrong way? I think he just wants to know you take the job as seriously as he does," Astrid suggested.

"I do take it seriously," he said, flatly.

Astrid raised her eyebrows at him, doubtful.

"I do!" he repeated, more forcefully.

"Are you trying to convince me, or yourself?" she asked.

"This is why I don't tell you things…"

"I just happen to agree with your dad, that's all. I think you do need to spend more time learning to be the next chief of Berk. You can't just avoid that responsibility."

"Oh, well that makes things _much_ better. Thank you, Astrid," Hiccup replied sarcastically.

They flew along, side by side, in an uncomfortable silence. Astrid knew that she had more or less blown her chances, and Hiccup was not going to share anything more on the subject at that point. They had not necessarily had what qualified as an argument, in her opinion, because Hiccup rarely let things get to that point. He usually just clammed up entirely, choosing silence over confrontation. She supposed she should have felt bad for ruining his pleasant mood, but she felt he was being too sensitive. He often seemed so reluctant so embrace his role as the heir to the chiefdom, and Astrid could not figure out why that was. Beside the fact that he was part of a lineage, he was the most logical choice for the job. Berk was now part of this "new age" of peace that Hiccup was responsible for bringing about, so who better to help navigate their people through the uncertainty ahead?

Whatever his reason for resisting the responsibility was, he was keeping it locked up tight. Instead of being concerned and sympathetic, Astrid was just getting frustrated. It was clear that the conversation was going nowhere, and she only had limited time to spend with Hiccup as it was. She did not want to spend it caught up in their _almost_ lovers' spat. It was time to redirect the mood.

"Hold Toothless steady. I coming over there!" she suddenly told him, swinging one of her legs over so that she was flying side-saddle.

"You're _what_?" Hiccup asked, bewildered.

Astrid positioned Stormfly slightly above Toothless so that she could move closer, narrowing the gap she had to clear. She drew her legs up, crouching low on her dragon's back. With a deep breath, she leapt down onto Toothless, settling in behind Hiccup. The Night Fury growled in protest, turning his head to glare at her.

"I'm sorry! Not my softest landing!" she apologized, patting him on the side.

Toothless snorted and shook it off, continuing to maintain the current course, flying high over the glistening sea.

"Are you _crazy_?" Hiccup chided.

"Maybe a little. No more than you are," she replied, grinning and wrapping her arms tightly around his waist.

He continued to stare back at her reproachfully and Astrid just rolled her eyes at him.

"Oh, come on! It's not like that's the first time I've swapped dragons midflight," she said.

"It is at this altitude," he argued.

"Hiccup, stop _worrying_. I'm far less accident-prone than you are…or are you still mad at me?"

He just sighed heavily as Astrid leaned forward to plant a kiss on his cheek. That was as close to an apology as she was going to give him, but he seemed placated enough.

"I wouldn't have to resort to such desperate measures if you just asked me to come along on these little morning flights every once in a while," she said, pointedly.

"I would, but you see, Toothless and I need this time for…uh…male bonding and whatnot," he replied.

Astrid laughed, pressing her forehead into the back of his shoulder.

"And whatnot, huh?"

"Of course. You always have to make time for whatnot, Astrid," he said, matter-of-factly with a small smile.

She slid her hands up to his chest and pulled him backwards. His eyes widened in surprise as he grasped at Toothless' leather riding harness, trying to maintain his balance.

"I'll show _you _some whatnot," she whispered before claiming his lips forcefully.

Sometimes, Astrid wondered if she was too forward. She never gave Hiccup much of an option as to when and where they shared an affectionate moment. She wanted something, she got it. Period. Born from a need to be feared and respected, to be taken seriously as the dragon fighter she had once aspired to be, Astrid had more or less forgotten how to be dainty or delicate about anything long ago. People could overlook timid—Hiccup's whole childhood had been evidence of that. Vikings responded to the bold approach.

Still, she had never bothered to ask Hiccup how he felt about her rather forceful approach to romance. Maybe she really did not want to know his answer to that question. He never complained about it, though. Then again, he rarely ever complained about anything, without being pressed on a given issue. If he_ did_ protest to something, it was always with such a heavy sarcasm that Astrid could not quite figure out if he was actually serious, or if he was just being facetious. When they had first gotten together, Astrid thought she had Hiccup pretty well figured out. Now she knew that she still had so much more to learn about him. Most Vikings were what-you-see-is-what-you-get. Emotions right out there on their sleeve, for all to see. Astrid prided herself on being in that category, most of the time. Hiccup was different, though. He felt and thought about things on a much deeper level than most Vikings their age; that much was clear.

In that moment however, kissing her back seemed to be the only thought he was preoccupied with; their earlier disagreement apparently forgotten. Astrid was delighted. The sensation of his tongue brushing against hers _never_ got old. It made her forget for a moment how chilly the late autumn air was.

She would have been content to kiss him all day, but it seemed as though Toothless had other plans. He suddenly went into a spectacular nosedive that had Astrid feeling like her stomach had leapt up into her throat. She and Hiccup immediately broke apart in alarm. Astrid clung tightly to Hiccup, feeling the stinging cold wind draw tears from her eyes as Toothless plummeted towards the rolling ocean surface.

Hiccup scrambled to regain control of his dragon, shouting, "No! Toothless! What are you doing?"

Astrid closed her eyes against cold air's assault, wind whistling in her ears, squeezing him tighter.

"Toothless! STOP!" Hiccup demanded, and as suddenly as the dragon had taken a dive, he stretched out his wings easing them into a gentle glide.

Astrid looked around for Stormfly, who was still flying high above them, completely unconcerned by the whole ordeal. She wondered, for a moment, if the dragons had actually conspired together. Hiccup leaned over so that he was as close as eye-to-eye with the Night Fury as he could get.

"You and I—we're going to have a talk about this!" she heard him warn the dragon. Toothless just warbled out a laugh.

Hiccup straightened up and grinned sheepishly at her, saying, "_Dragons. _Am I right?"

"What was all that about?" Astrid asked, still trying to catch her breath.

"I, uh…don't think Toothless is big on open displays of affection," he said, with a shrug.

The Night Fury let out a growl of agreement, looking rather pleased with himself. Hiccup shot Toothless a very disapproving look.

"Sorry about that, Astrid," he apologized on behalf of his dragon. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, but I can't say I blame Toothless. I don't think I'd like people sucking face on top of me either," she said.

Hiccup raised his eyebrows at her, looking as though he was not quite sure what to make of that comparison.

"Yeah, well…I guess we should start heading back," he replied. "_Somebody_ has earned themselves a time out."

000000000

Excited was not nearly strong enough to explain how Fishlegs was feeling when he woke up that morning. Hiccup had given him control of the Berk Dragon Academy while he was off doing whatever it was being the future leader of Berk required him to do. Fishlegs did not envy him, because he personally could not think of anything else he would rather being doing than educating future dragon riders of Berk on the majestic secrets of the Gronckle…or whatever else Hiccup had deemed appropriate. Of course, he had to share the responsibility of overseeing the school with Astrid. As much as Fishlegs respected her opinion and insight, especially on all things Deadly Nadder, he often found her condensing his lesson plan, much to his dismay. Okay, so maybe he had a tendency to run over the allotted time, but he could not imagine someone _not _being enthralled with the wealth of knowledge he had to share. Of course, it was also hard to stay on track when lessons were being constantly interrupted by loud, often vulgar remarks and catcalls by Snotlout and the Twins. In those instances, he was glad for Astrid's heavy-handed approach to conflict resolution.

Fishlegs hurried into the dragon training arena early, eager to prepare before the inevitable interruptions some of the other teens would bring with them. Meatlug hovered along loyally behind him. He opened the Book of Dragons, not that he did not already have it memorized of course, but just in case he had overlooked something he could use—however unlikely that was. No sooner had he started skimming the pages when Toothless glided into the arena, followed closely by Stormfly. Fishlegs did a double-take when he noticed the Nadder was missing her rider. Upon a more careful second glance, he noticed Toothless was carrying two riders. _Of course _he was.

"Oh, Fishlegs! You're here early," Hiccup said brightly as he dismounted.

"Wanted to get a head start and all," Fishlegs replied.

But Hiccup was not listening. He was too easily distracted whenever Astrid was around, in Fishleg's humble opinion. Hiccup was gazing up at Astrid, offering her a hand as she slid off Toothless' back. She would not have it though. She just rolled her eyes and swatted his hand aside as her feet touched the ground. It puzzled Fishlegs, the way they were together.

He had assumed, after Hiccup had won Astrid's hand, saving her from a miserable arranged marriage, that they would be announcing their own engagement shortly thereafter. Was that not how it worked? Observing them together, he definitely noticed there was _something_ going on between them. Everyone in Berk knew that the two of them were together. Loosely. In some form or another. For one thing, they stood a little too close and held each other's gazes a little too long. Not to mention, there were plenty of rumors going around that Astrid had been seen sneaking in and out of Hiccup's house most nights. It was just a rumor, of course. He never could find anyone who had actually seen it go down. Fishlegs had personally never witnessed it, so he was not prepared to comment one way or the other about what the two other Vikings did in their spare time, alone. Still, whenever he asked, Hiccup and Astrid were both extremely vague and evasive about the status of their relationship. They both seemed a lot happier in recent months, though. He supposed that was good enough, _whatever_ they were to each other now.

Astrid shot Fishlegs a sideways glance and he dropped his gaze to the ground, whistling casually. He had not meant to stare at them. The ambiguity of their behavior towards one another was just so intriguing.

"Can you look after Toothless for me?" Hiccp asked Astrid as he started removing the saddle and riding harness from the Night Fury.

"I always do," Astrid replied, walking over to tend to her own dragon.

Fishlegs wondered why Hiccup never asked _him_ to watch Toothless. Was he not the topmost authority on dragons in Berk—well, next to Hiccup, anyway? It was curious how Hiccup seemed to entrust almost _everything_ to Astrid, now. His dragon, half of the academy… Not that she was incapable or anything, but Fishlegs wondered why the sudden favoritism, if they were not more serious than they let on? He also found it fascinating how Toothless also seemed to hold Astrid in higher regards than he previously had—following almost all her commands as if they were coming from Hiccup, himself. _Very curious_.

"Something on your mind, Fishlegs?" Hiccup asked, quirking an eyebrow at him.

Oops. He had been staring again. It was hard for him _not _to study and analyze things, even people.

"Oh, nothing!" Fishlegs said quickly, burying his nose back into the Book of Dragons to appear uninterested.

"You're a terrible liar," Astrid said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"It's none of my business!" he replied, trying to sound dismissive—and failing miserably.

"Well, if you insist," Hiccup said, turning back to Toothless.

Fishlegs fidgeted nervously, eyes darting back and forth between the two of them. When he saw Hiccup and Astrid share a lingering glance, punctuated with tender smiles, he could stand it no longer.

"Ugh, are you guys together or not? I mean, I _assume_ you are—everyone does. But you two just act so casual all of the time. Is it even really that serious?" he blurted out, throwing his hands up in the air, still clutched the Book of Dragons. "I just can't figure it out! It's driving me crazy!"

"Why do_ you_ want to know?" Astrid asked, suspicious.

Fishlegs turned, pleadingly, to Hiccup. He was much less likely to respond to Fishleg's inquiry with threats of bodily harm.

"I'm just curious, is all! I mean, I gave you the idea for the whole _svipting_ thing. I feel kind of bad that you had to go through all of that," he told Hiccup, his eyes flickering to the other Viking's recently healed shoulder. "I just want to make sure something good came of it."

Hiccup smiled at him, appreciatively. Thor, it was so much easier to talk to him than Astrid. Fishlegs resolved to filter all future questions through him. It was safer that way.

"Something good did come of it, Fishlegs," Hiccup reassured him. "I'm really thankful you brought the _svipting_ up, or I never would have known it was a legitimate option."

"So, you two are serious, then?" he asked tentatively, and Hiccup frowned.

"Well, uh…we are…"

Hiccup suddenly defaulted to Astrid to finish his sentence.

"We're _something_," she said with a tone of finality.

"Well, there you go! We're something!" Hiccup said, patting him on the shoulder. "And that explains that."

Fishlegs was no less confused. He was about to seek more clarification when the three of them were joined by none other than Snotlout and the Thortson Twins, sauntering in completely oblivious to the conversation they had just interrupted.

"And that's the end of _that _discussion," Hiccup said under his breath.

Ruffnut took one look at Fishlegs, Book of Dragons in his hands, and made a disgusted noise.

"I am _not_ sitting through another class if he's teaching it. I'd have more fun watching grass grow," she said, flatly.

"You're welcome to leave. Please, don't let us stop you," Astrid replied, narrowing her eyes at the female Thortson.

Astrid had gone from wanting to punch Fishlegs to defending him, just like that. Truly, women were a terrifying and unpredictable species.

"We are planning on covering Fear Class dragons today. I figured you and Tuffnut might like to show some of our younger dragon trainers what Barf and Belch can do," Fishlegs said, trying to keep the peace.

"That's fine, as long as we get to set something on fire," Tuffnut said, releasing their Hideous Zippleback from its stable. He then turned to Fishlegs, suddenly very serious. "We _do_ get to set something on fire, right?"

"Uh, I'm sure…we could find something?" Fishlegs said, with a shrug.

"On that note, I think I best be getting over to the Great Hall to meet up with my dad," Hiccup interrupted.

"You're leaving already?" Astrid asked, not sounding too pleased with the idea.

"I don't want to be associated with any destruction the Twins cause," he told her.

"That's all the more reason for you to stay—to keep them in line," Fishlegs pleaded.

"Well, you can just take that up with my dad next time you see him," Hiccup replied, sarcastically.

Fishlegs could think of about a dozen other things that sounded more appealing than arguing with Stoick the Vast for Hiccup's freedom. Getting mauled by a Monsterous Nightmare, wrestling a Skrill in a thunderstorm, dragon-sitting a few Whispering Deaths…just to name a few.

"That's what I thought," Hiccup said at the hesitation on his face.

"How long is he having you pull future chief duty?" Snotlout asked.

"Long enough," Hiccup said.

"Well he's got to let you have the night off for the Winter Nights Festival! I mean, what kind of parent is that strict?" Tuffnut replied.

"Have you _met_ my dad?" Hiccup replied, quirking an eyebrow.

Astrid gasped, causing everyone to turn and look at her in surprise.

"Winter Nights is really _that_ soon?" she asked, wide-eyed. "How could I have forgotten?"

Admittedly, Fishlegs had forgotten too, which was surprising to him. He had just been so consumed with his lesson plans, lately.

Winter Nights was the traditional festival that marked the end the autumnal harvest and the official beginning of winters on Berk. He looked forward to it every year, because the accompanying feast and festivities were the stuff of legend. As far back as he could remember, the Winter Nights Festival brought with it a pleasantly stuffed belly and drifting off to sleep to the sound of lively music and uproarious laughter. It was probably his favorite holiday next to Snoggletog. He knew that the other teens' excitement was for a much different reason, however. The end of the harvest meant breaking out the mead and the summer's vintage. The older he had gotten, the more his innocent memories of Winter Nights had been replaced by ones of inebriated neighbors and mild debauchery. It was the kind of stuff that _some_ Viking teens lived for. The Twins and Snotlout were bound to be excited, but Fishlegs had not expected Astrid to get so worked up over the idea. Hiccup seemed to be the only one who was not overjoyed at the thought of the Winter Nights Festival.

"Don't worry, Hiccup," Snotlout said, draping his arm across his cousin's shoulders. "If the Chief wants you on a short leash for Winter Nights, _I'll_ entertain Astrid for the night."

"_Wha_t! Are you—What exactly are you implying, Snotlout?" Hiccup asked, indignantly.

"Oh, come on, Hiccup. You can't play the prude anymore," Ruffnut teased.

"Yeah. From what we understand you know _all_ _about_—" Tuffnut began, but Astrid cut him off.

"_No one_ is 'entertaining' anyone!" she snapped.

"That's not what I've heard," Ruffnut replied with a wicked grin. She then made a lewd gesture, simulating the act of oral sex.

Tuffnut and Snotlout broke out into a simultaneous "Ohhh!" Fishlegs would not have been surprised if he was actually beet red at that moment. It was not like these conversations were new to him. The Twins and Snotlout made a point of giving Hiccup and Astrid a hard time whenever the opportunity presented itself—but he simply did not want to imagine such things. Suddenly, Fishlegs understood why the two of them might have decided not to discuss their relationship more openly—they were heckled mercilessly enough as it was.

Ruffnut now had her arms protectively shielding her head and face as Astrid punched her repeatedly.

"I'm leaving. See you later, Fishlegs," Hiccup muttered under his breath, trying to walking out of the arena without drawing any attention to himself. Fishlegs could not blame him.

"Aren't you going to kiss your _boyfriend _goodbye?" Ruffnut asked Astrid between punches; she had seen him trying to sneak out.

"He's not my boyfriend!" Astrid hissed, eyes blazing.

The other teens turned towards Hiccup, his attempt for an inconspicuous retreat thwarted. He shifted awkwardly from one leg to the other under their expectant stares.

"Well…I'm _not_ her boyfriend," he repeated before quickly leaving the academy before things got even more awkward.

"Okay. Friends with benefits then," Tuffnut said; Ruffnut and Snotlout chuckled.

The three of them took turns getting punched by Astrid.

00000000

**Author's Note: **Vetrnaetr, or Winter Nights, was an actual festival/holiday celebrated in the Old Norse tradition. Usually the autumnal harvest celebration was called Mabon, but sometimes folks would hold off and combine it with Winter Nights. That's more or less what I'm having Berk do here. There was also usually some kind of animal sacrifice and bloodletting because, hey, Vikings. They also worshipped/gave offerings to elves or spirits or whatever. I will be watering it down because if Dreamworks can invent a Christmas knock-off holiday like Snoggletog, I feel like I can take some liberties with Vetrnaetr. If you, for whatever reason, celebrate Winter Nights in your part of the world and are offended with my interpretation, I apologize. I don't pretend to be an expert on Viking culture…and I don't think Dreamworks does either, for that matter.

Please, if you enjoy my work, leave me a review to let me know. It's so frustrating to have a fic with 1000+ views and only 8 reviews (true story). In my insecure brain that means everyone hates it or feels it is just "meh" at a best. I'm not so desperate that I need a review from everyone, but come on now. Imagine performing up on stage and then, when it's over, everyone just silently stands up and leaves. That's what it's like, y'all. Don't be like that.

If you _are_ going to leave a review, especially a constructive one, please be nice. I can take respectful criticism, but not blatant asshattery.


	2. Bonfires and Heartbreaks

**Author's Note: **Aw, you guys! I've gotten some really wonderful reviews from y'all. Thanking for taking the time to do that. You have no idea how that makes my day.

Some of you have been asking about the explicit version of my other work, _Awkward In the Best Possible Way_. To let those of you who are interest know, it _has_ been published on another fan fiction website. You can find me on Archive Of Our Own, now in addition to this website. I am a member of that site as E_Wills. All my work on this website can also be found over on this other one, but with one major difference- any explicit sexual content will not be censored there. I will still be posting mature content in my stories on the site from time to time, where appropriate. Depending on the amount of detail I choose to write, I may have to continue to censor certain scenes on here while posting the full version over on Archive Of Our Own. I will leave an Author's Note whenever I make that call.

Thank you all for the continuing support!

0000000000

Hiccup was thankful to be out of that uncomfortable situation with the Twins. He was confident Astrid would handle it the best way she knew how, and the only way the other teens seemed to respond to—fists. He cared deeply for his friends but it was getting harder to be around them, especially now that he and Astrid were a…_thing_. It was not that what Ruffnut had insinuated between him and Astrid was wrong, but he did not see the need to share those details of his life. He felt like people were far too concerned with his private business enough as it was. He enjoyed no longer being considered the village "hiccup" but he did miss the days of nobody caring what he did. Those days were long gone, however. Now he was the "pride of Berk," as his Stoick liked to refer to him on occasion. Everything he did was under heavy scrutiny—particularly by his father.

That was how Hiccup found himself sitting next to the formidable Viking, having the distinct _privilege_ of bearing witness to the mysteries of the chiefdom. Stoick was presiding over a meeting with some of Berk's disgruntled residents to resolve any disputes and give his expert advice. He had told Hiccup the night before that this was an important meeting, and had stressed the necessity of being on time. In hindsight, Hiccup would have to say that _important_ had been too generous a description. In the two or so hours he had been sitting there, he heard discussions of vital importance, such as where was the best, most accessible location to dig a new well, reinforcing the hull of some of Berk's older shipping vessels, and a particularly nasty territorial dispute between two shepherds on the rights to the same grazing grounds for their respective flocks. Truly earth-shattering stuff.

In the interest of keeping the cold at bay, everyone was seated around the large fire pit where they had so often strategized in the war against dragons only a few years prior. The warmth of the flames was lulling Hiccup to sleep, and he was fighting a mighty battle to keep his eyelids open.

"—and how can yeh expect us te tell our sheep apart when we're expect te share the same land!" One of the shepherds yelled.

"I'm not expecting yeh te tell yer sheep from mine! I'm expecting yeh to keep them away altogether!" the other shouted.

"There's not enough land te go around! Where are my sheep supposed te graze, then?"

Hiccup rested his head in his hand, closing his eyes for only a moment.

"Both of yer flocks have gotten too large! Either yeh'll have to figure out a way to share the land, or yeh'll need to barter off yer sheep with the tribes te the South," Stoick said firmly.

"I'm not barterin' off nothin'!"

"Me neither!"

"But I still don't know how yeh expect me te mingle my flock with this mutton head's animals!"

Oh, dear Thor. Just paint the sheep, already! Hiccup did understand why this was so _difficult._

"Hiccup!" his father hissed, giving him a small kick in the shin to wake him up.

His eyes snapped opened and he glanced around at everyone staring at him. He cleared his throat and immediately straightened up, but it did not hide the fact that he had clearly been uninterested in the conversation.

"Well?" Stoick asked, raising an eyebrow.

Hiccup glanced back and forth between his father and the two shepherds, all three of whom were eyeing him expectantly.

"Uh…wh-what…was the question, exactly?" Hiccup asked, trying to sound casual about it.

"These two _gentlemen_, would like to know yer opinion on the issue," Stoick said, staring down at him reproachfully, sour that he had tried to nod off.

"I, uh…I think you should maybe…paint the sheep?" Hiccup suggested with a shrug.

"Paint the sheep? Paint the sheep!" one of the shepherds exclaimed, like it was the most preposterous idea he had ever heard.

"Wait, hear me out! My friends and I will mark sheep with different color spot of paint whenever we break off into teams for dragon racing—so each team knows which sheep to go for. I think the same basic idea can be applied here," Hiccup explained.

"Why would you use sheep for dragon racing?" another Viking asked, confused.

"I don't—it was Astrid's—never mind! The point is, the paint is temporary. It washes out. If you marked your flocks with different colors, you could tell them apart when it came time for…shearing, or whatever."

There was a moment a complete silence, where everyone just stared at him like he was crazy. He felt himself getting a little defensive. Honestly, the idea made complete sense to him.

"That's brilliant!" someone exclaimed, suddenly breaking the awkward tension. There was a buzz of agreement around the chamber.

"I didn't know yeh could paint a sheep! It had never occurred te me," said a shepherd, twisting his beard thoughtfully.

Hiccup sighed in relief. Maybe this chief thing was easier than his father made it out to be? He glanced up at Stoick, pleased with himself, but his father did not seem to return the sentiment. Stoick did not appear angry, really. More exasperated than anything else. Hiccup could not understand why. Was he not doing exactly what his father wanted him to do?

Stoick sighed heavily than raised a hand to get the meeting back under control. With the sheep herding issue resolved, the discussion could progress onto other pressing matters—like the migratory pattern of local fish populations and its impact on the fishing trade for the coming winter. How _exciting_.

Hiccup kept his comments to himself for the rest of the meeting. He focused instead on keeping his eyes open, pretending as if he cared about the fish migration. He had been sitting in one spot for too long and his left leg had started to cramp where flesh met the prosthetic. It had a tendency to do that from time to time, even with the upgraded model. It was something that he had heard others refer to as "phantom pain", but from what Gobber had described his to be like, Hiccup felt blessed his was only mildly irritating. Thankfully, the meeting did not go on too much longer. As it adjourned, Hiccup was relieved for the opportunity to stand up and stretch out his tight muscles. Stoick took the time to address each Viking personally and thank them for their participation as they left. When the final person had left the Great Hall, he rounded on Hiccup.

"Yeh could have shown a little bit more respect!" he said firmly.

"Respect? For _what_, sheep grazing?" Hiccup replied, defensively.

"For yeh fellow tribesmen!"

"I solved the sheep problem, didn't I?"

"Yeh slept through a good bit of it."

"I wasn't asleep!" Hiccup argued.

"It doesn't matter, Hiccup—it's the perception!" His voice rang loud and clear in the empty hall, seeming to reverberate off the walls.

Stoick took a deep breath, clapping a large hand over his forehead. He closed his eyes and shook his head slowly.

"How many times will it take me sayin' it, before yeh realize that ye're going to be chief someday, and all of this—," he gestured to the fire pit to indicate the meeting they had just witnessed, "—is going te be yer responsibility."

"I _know_, dad. It's just…do you think all of this is necessary, right now?"

"Yeh need te be prepared," Stoick replied, with a heavy sigh.

"Prepared? You make it sound like you are going to drop dead tomorrow," Hiccup said, with a frown.

"Come here, son," Stoick said, gripping him by the shoulder—the bad one. It had been accidental, Hiccup was sure.

He grimaced from the pain as he was steered over to _the wall_. It was where all the portraits of Berk's past chiefs and their sons hung in chronological order, ending with the painting of the two of them. As Stoick released him, Hiccup gave a soft groan of relief and rotated his shoulder, kneading the muscles.

"Yeh are part of a tradition, Hiccup—a heritage! Every chief Berk has ever had eventually had to pass the torch on to his son—"

"Except the ones that were murdered by theirs," Hiccup muttered under his breath, Stoick ignored him.

"One day, Berk will look to yeh as it now looks te me, and as it looked te my father before me. It's not a choice. Yeh're a Haddock! It is something we are born te do. Now yer methods may be unorthodox, I'll admit that, but our people already look to yeh fer answers. If yeh don't take this seriously, how can yeh expect them to put their trust in yeh? Their lives?"

Hiccup stared at the ground for a moment, running his fingers through his shaggy auburn hair.

"I just think…I'm not quite the chief you have in mind, dad," he said. "I'm much more of your 'Resident Dragon Expert' Viking, or your 'Builds Crazy Inventions' Viking. I mean, ship building and fish migrations? What do _I_ know about any of that?"

"That is why we're doing this," Stoick replied, patting him on the shoulder—the good one, that time. "Yeh'll learn all of that. The more time we spend preparing yeh, the more yeh'll—"

"That's great and everything, dad. Really. But I have other responsibilities, too. I—"

"I have no doubt we can make you into the chief Berk needs. The chief yeh were meant to be—"

"You're not listening, to me. As usual."

"—This is what I want for yeh, Hiccup. Yeh can be the bridge between the old generations and the new. Yeh've practically got that it the bag already. If yeh take this seriously, think of what yeh can accomplish! Think of the potential! Yeh could be the greatest leader Berk has ever seen!" Stoick beamed proudly at him, which only made Hiccup feel worse. "It will be our _legacy_."

"The academy, bringing dragons and Vikings together—that's my legacy!" Hiccup argued. "Who _cares_ about the rest of it?"

Stoick's face fell. The pride on his face transformed into a look of pity, and Hiccup would have almost preferred to face his father's disappointment instead.

"Son, yeh're eighteen. The time fer playin' with yer friends is over."

"Playing is not quite the right word for it, dad. It's a project we've all poured our heart and souls into. A lot of blood, sweat, and tears went into that academy—usually Snotlout's…"

"Hiccup, do yeh think you'll be running that school forever? Spending every other afternoon training wild dragons and going on dragon races with yer friends?"

The question took him by surprise. Hiccup had never really considered the longevity of the dragon academy before.

"Yeh _will_ be chief. It is a full time job, and so is yer dragon training project, it seems. Something has te give. What will do Berk more harm? Losing the academy, or losing the chiefdom?"

His dad really needed to stop making sense. It was depressing.

"I think it is time we make this arrangement of our permanent," Stoick said firmly. "It is time yeh passed the responsibility of running the academy to Fishlegs and Astrid indefinitely."

"Dad, please. This is all so immediate—"

"I'm counting on yeh, Hiccup."

Of course, he had to go there. Leave it to his father to make it into an issue of reliability and trust. It was always a point of weakness for Hiccup. He had spent so many years of his life trying to get his father's approval, and now that he had it, letting him down was just not an option. Hiccup did not think it seemed fair, though. After all, who was _not_ counting on him for something nowadays? People needed to start relying on their own damn selves.

"I understand," he told his father, squashing the bitterness that was bubbling up inside of him.

"Good. Now come with me to the docks. Trader Johann should be arriving soon and I want yeh te learn about our trade agreements."

Goody. He could hardly wait.

As Hiccup followed Stoick out of the Great Hall, it took three quick steps to match just one of his father's long strides. They had a bit of a walk to the docks, so Hiccup took the opportunity to bring up one thing that had been on his mind since he left his friends at the training arena. The way things had been going however, Hiccup was not feeling terribly optimistic.

"Dad, before we get trapped in another one of Johann's elaborate tales, I wanted to ask you if I could have a day off for Winter Nights?" Hiccup held his breath, praying to Odin Allfather that Stoick was feeling unusually generous.

His father gave a short laugh and answered, "There is a great deal of official business that comes with throwing a festival like Winter Nights. I'm going te need yer help, so I wouldn't be making any plans if I were yeh."

"Okay. Sure," Hiccup replied, disheartened.

Arguing with his father would have been as productive as sweet-talking a rampaging Monsterous Nightmare, so he dropped the issue. It was not like he was particularly excited about the upcoming holiday, but he knew that Astrid was. His friends were also expecting him to join in whatever mischief and mead-induced frivolity they got up to that night. In all honesty, he could deal with their disappointment if he was unable to join the merriment, but Astrid…letting her down was difficult to stomach. He was going to have to figure out how to break it to her that they would not be spending that particular holiday together.

'Fantastic,' he thought to himself, sarcastically. 'Today is just going so _well_.'

00000000

One of the many benefits to living on Berk was that there was an abundance of wooden goods and construction. While that may not have been particularly exciting to most people, the simple fact is that wood eventually wore down and needed to be replaced, especially with the unrelenting, salty sea breeze that battered the village. What became of the old, beaten down wood? Well, of course, it got burned. Every five or six months, all the useless timber was collected and set aflame in large bonfires. Good company and entertaining stories were often part of the experience, so it was a night Astrid always looked forward to—and as luck would have it, that night was bonfire night.

The sun had set a couple of hours ago and dinner was wrapping up in the Great Hall, which meant the bonfires would soon roar to life. They were never lit in the village proper, but there were a few select locations one could count on to find some flames. Astrid and her friends usually claimed the beach, but it was highly sought after territory. It was essential to claim it early or they would be left to mingle with their parents. The idea did not suit their teenage sentiments.

"Astrid, are you coming?" Fishlegs asked excitedly as they hurried out of the Great Hall together.

"Of course, but I'm going to go find Hiccup, first. He's probably forgotten what tonight is," she answered.

"Do you want me to wait up for you guys?"

"No. You need to hurry on to the beach and save us a spot! We'll meet up with you," she told him.

Fishlegs nodded and they parted ways. Astrid made her way to the Chief's house, hoping that Stoick had turned his son loose from his chiefly duties. She knew that Hiccup sometimes worked with his father late into the evening, but it was _bonfire night_, for Thor's sake!

As she approached the Haddock household she noticed a soft glow of candlelight dancing in Hiccup's bedroom window. It was a promising sign. She knocked on the front door and heard a heavy set of footsteps on the other side. As the door opened, she was as unsurprised to see Stoick the Vast looking down at her as he was to see her standing there, looking up at him. It was all too routine.

"He's upstairs," Stoick said, standing aside to let her pass.

Astrid took a second to utter a respectful "thank you, Chief" before bounding up the stairs to Hiccup's room. She did not bother to announce herself. She just threw open the door. It was not like Hiccup was going to tell her to keep out, anyway.

She found him lying in bed with Sharpshot curled up beside him, head on his stomach. He was stroking the Terrible Terror's back in the same manner as one would pet a housecat. The tiny dragon seemed to be purring, if he could even do that. Toothless was resting by the window, where he usually curled up in the evening. He warbled softly when he saw her and she gave the dragon a fond smile. She had to admit, for all the time she was spending with Toothless lately, she really was getting attached to him. She would never admit it in front of Stromfly, though. Deadly Nadders were still the superior dragon species in her completely and unapologetically biased opinion.

Her sudden entrance had startled no one, and Hiccup barely even turned his head when he said, "Hey, Astrid."

He sounded far too exhausted for a night so young. She was convinced he just needed to catch his second wind, or else she was going to drag him to the beach. One way or another, he was _going_.

"Hey, yourself! Long day?" she asked, sitting on the edge of his bed.

"Yes," he answered.

"Well, maybe this will cheer you up?"

She leaned over and kissed him tenderly. He placed one hand on her back as he reciprocated, but there was a reluctance to his lips and a hesitancy in his touch that had Astrid pulling away with a frown.

"What's the matter with you?" she asked, annoyed with his lack of enthusiasm.

"I'm sorry. Today has been—things are just…my heart's not in it. Sorry," he apologized, wearily.

"Well, I'm not just going to let you just lie here. It's bonfire night, so let's get a move on," she demanded.

Hiccup closed his eyes and took a deep breath, pinching the bridge of his nose. Astrid could only assume he was fighting back the urge to argue with her. He was much too smart to actually try it, though. It was not that Hiccup was afraid to speak his mind in front of her, and it was not that she did not let him. He just picked his battles very wisely when it came to disagreeing with her, and Astrid appreciated him for that.

"I'm tired," was the excuse he gave.

"So? All you need to do is just sit there, in the sand, doing nothing. I can't see how that could possibly be more taxing for you than just lying here," she countered.

"It's a long walk to the beach," Hiccup replied.

"Toothless can fly us there," she suggested.

"Toothless doesn't feel like flying right now."

Astrid was not buying it. It was nighttime, and Toothless was a Night Fury. They went together like ax and hand.

She turned to the black dragon and asked, "How about it? Would you like to go for a nice little flight to the beach?"

Toothless perked up immediately and gave her one of his gummy grins that earned him his name.

"Huh, I think he disagrees with you," she told Hiccup, smugly.

"Traitor," he grumbled.

"So, do you have any more excuses or can we leave now?"

"No...That was pretty much my last one," he said, sitting up.

Astrid was pleased. For as much as Hiccup could be a stick in the mud when he did not want to do something, at least he was a compliant stick. It was not that she took pleasure in badgering him, but Astrid considered herself a Viking of action. If he truly had a miserable day, she did not see what lying around and reflecting on it was going to do for him. Bonfire night only came a couple of times a year, and this would be their first as a couple, so it was sort of important to her that he be there. She also enjoyed herself more whenever Hiccup was around. She supposed that was because she loved him so much, and all of that girly stuff she tried not to think too much about.

She wanted to tell him her reason for pushing him to come out with her, but she just ended up saying, "If you make us late, _you_ have to sit next to Snotlout this time."

000000

There was already a bit of a crowd by the time Hiccup and Astrid arrived at the beach. The fire had not yet been lit, but there were only two spots remaining around the wood pile; Fishlegs had dutifully reserved them. Hiccup slid off Toothless first, and he offered Astrid his hand, like always. Predictably, she ignored the small gesture of chivalry and dismounted without assistance. Just once, he wished she would let him take care of her in ways outside of the bedroom, but Astrid was too proud for that.

"What kept you?" Ruffnut asked suggestively, as they approached the other teens.

"As if you even need to ask," Tuffnut chimed in. "Everyone knows they've been fuc—HEY!"

Astrid had interrupted him by kicking sand in his face. The male Thortson sputtered and coughed, trying desperately to shake the sand out of his blonde dreadlocks, but the thick coils of hair trapped _everything_. Snotlout and Ruffnut just laughed at his misfortune and Fishlegs shook his head. If the whole night was going to go that way, Hiccup regretted his decision to tag along with Astrid in the first place. He should have just stayed home.

Astrid led him by the hand to the unoccupied patch of sand between Fishlegs and Ruffnut. As they took a seat, Hiccup surveyed the group, noting who else was present. Ruffnut had brought along some poor young man who was undoubtedly her flavor of the week. In addition to his friends, there was a collection of much younger teens he did not know. They were staring back at him and Toothless with a sort of wonderment that was making him uncomfortable.

"They are some of our newer students," Astrid whispered to him. "Many of them were actually pretty bummed when they figured out you weren't going to be teaching the classes. I think they are just excited you're actually here."

"Why is that? It's not like I'm some sort of dragon expert or anything," Hiccup replied sarcastically.

Astrid lightly punched him in the arm and he could not help but smile at her in spite of his bitter mood. She had that effect on him. She had always had that effect on him.

"Well, Mr. 'Dragon Expert,' I think Fishlegs and I have been managing pretty well, all things considered," Astrid said, proudly.

"I'm sure you have," he replied.

"By the way, Fishlegs," she said, "Did you invite the _whole_ school?"

"No!...Okay, _maybe._ I thought the more, the merrier?" Fishlegs answered.

"Sure. I love spending my nights off entertaining a bunch of pre-pubescent brats," Snotlout retorted with a scowl.

Many of the younger dragon riders took great offense to his comment. They called him a myriad of rather choice swear words, and Hiccup was impressed by their extensive, _colorful_ vocabulary. Among the insults were "Gronckle-fucker" and "Steaming sack of dragon shit." Snotlout just feigned deafness in that pompous way of his that more or less justified the verbal attacks he so often received.

"Are you sure you don't want to let Snotlout teach a lesson or two? He's got such a way with kids, don't you think?" Astrid teased, giving Hiccup a playful nudge. "I can see it now…dragon races through the center of the village, dodge-fireball becoming the new pastime…the village of Berk, burning to the ground."

"Please, Astrid. You're going to give me nightmares," Hiccup groaned and she just laughed.

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm freezing my ass off!" Snotlout complained loudly. "Hookfang, do us a square, would ya?"

The Monsterous Nightmare, who had been lounging quietly behind Snotlout, raised his large head and set the wood pile ablaze in a rare display of obedience—or perhaps he was just as sick of autumn's chill as they were. Considering it was Hookfang, Hiccup had to go with the second option.

The bonfire was a sight to behold as the brilliant red-orange roared to life. The flames seemed to lick the night sky, sending tiny little embers shooting up to mingle with the stars. Several of the onlookers sighed contently, inching as close to the tower of flames as reason would allow. There was a communal moment of silent reverie before conversations started breaking out amongst the group, adding the buzz of spirited chatter to the crackle of the burning wood.

Hiccup glanced to his right to see Ruffnut sensually entangled with her boyfriend of the moment, kissing him fiercely—or maybe they were trying to devour each other's lips? Honestly, it looked about the same either way. He found himself automatically scooting closer to Astrid, uninterested in becoming collateral damage from a wayward hand or foot. To their left, Fishlegs, Snotlout, and Tuffnut were already making plans for the next dragon racing event and a few younger dragon riders had wandered over to join their conversation. Another group of younger teens had walked over to Toothless, keeping a safe distance, but studying him was a sort of nervous excitement. Toothless gazed back at them, tilting his head to the side and twitching an ear nub curiously.

"C-can we…touch him?" asked a girl with pigtails, her outstretched hand trembling.

"I've never been this close to him before!" said heavyset boy, who reminded Hiccup a little of Fishlegs when they were younger.

"He's so _beautiful!_" squealed another girl.

Hiccup frowned. There were about a dozen other adjectives he would have chosen to describe Toothless. Beautiful just seemed so…emasculating for such a powerful dragon. The Night Fury did not seem to mind the attention, though. He was busy flashing them all a gummy smile before covering his face with his tail fin, then he suddenly popped his head back up again to their delight.

"Unbelievable. He's playing peek-a-boo with them!" Hiccup exclaimed in exasperation.

Astrid just laughed and ruffled his hair.

"At least Toothless is having fun. You should try it, sometime. You might actually enjoy it," she teased.

"I'm sorry. I've…been in a mood, I guess."

"I've noticed."

"Sorry."

"Hiccup, stop apologizing for everything. It gets annoying," Astrid said, aiming a light punch to his arm.

He automatically opened his mouth to apologize again, but Astrid caught his eye and they both just chuckled softly.

"How _did_ your day go, by the way?" she asked, leaning her head against his shoulder.

Hiccup thought she was being unusually tender considering they were in public, but everyone else seemed far too preoccupied to pay them much attention.

"It went pretty much how you'd expect," he said with a shrug.

He was downplaying his misery for Astrid's sake. He knew she supported the idea of him becoming chief, and he did not want to stir up her anger by complaining about it.

"So…it went well?" Astrid inquired, raising her head to look him in the eye.

Hiccup dropped his gaze to the sand and replied, "Yes."

Astrid seemed satisfied and it bothered him. She really was unaware of what the job entailed. She thought he did not want to become chief because he would rather be slacking off, and she would tell him often enough. He did not like to discuss the issue with her, but there was more to his reluctance than that. As much as his dad expected him to drop his responsibilities as the founder of the Berk Dragon Academy, he could not do it. His friends expected him to return to his position as soon as the chiefing lessons were over—but his father did not _want_ them to end. Stoick expected Hiccup to permanently shift his priorities, while his friends expected them to stay the same. Apparently, there was also a new generation of dragon riders who were expecting to be just the same old Hiccup he had always been. The villagers saw him as the future chief, but only when it suited them. Then there was Astrid, who seemed to think he was incapable of failure and expected him to be all things equally—chief, dragon trainer, friend…_boyfriend_, or whatever he was_?_ If he was at fault in any way, it was that he cared too much about letting anybody down, but the juggling act was just not sustainable. He did not feel ready to be the chief. Everything had been moving too fast and he had not had the time to comfortably shift roles. Astrid, his father, everyone—they were clueless.

"Winter Nights is going to be amazing this year!" Tuffnut proclaimed loudly, snapping Hiccup out of his thoughts. "I heard that Trader Johann was able to haggle for some _Roman_ wine."

"As if they're going to let _us_ touch the stuff," Snotlout said, folding his arms.

"Oh, hohoho, ye of little faith. Do you not know who I am? Do you not know I have my ways? Tuffnut replied mischievously.

"I'm sure everyone here is regrettably familiar with your 'ways'," Fishlegs retorted.

"Wine it too girly for me. Real men drink mead," Snotlout said, pounding his fist against his chest.

"Great. That's _all_ Berk needs—a drunk Snotlout and Tuffnut," Astrid said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

Ruffnut had broken apart from her man long enough to add her thoughts on the subject.

"Wine or mead, it doesn't matter. After a few goblets full it all tastes the same—sweet inebriation!" she exclaimed, pumping a fist into the air.

"The girls are easier once the drinks are flowing," Snotlout said with a smirk.

"Everyone looks better when you're drunk," Astrid replied flatly. "But it will take a whole barrel to improve your chances."

"Care to test that theory?" he replied, wiggling his eyebrows at her.

"I think I just threw up in my mouth," Astrid muttered under her breath.

Hiccup sat there silently as the other teens were swept up in the excitement of Winter Nights. They fantasized about everything from the food to the music, and back again. It was maddening to listen to, knowing that he would not be free to enjoy it as they were. He was relieved when the conversation returned to talk of reckless dragon racing. He was hopeful he would be able to ward off further disappointment as long as talk of Winter Nights was avoided, but of course he was being too optimistic.

"Hiccup!" Fishlegs cried excitedly, hurrying over to him. "We are dragon racing three days from now. You're in, right?"

"Oh, gods. That sounds great, Fishlegs. Really, it does…but I can't. I have to help my dad prepare for Winter Nights," Hiccup explained.

Fishlegs looked crestfallen and Hiccup really wished he would not. It was only making him feel worse.

"I thought you were going to get Winter Nights off. I was hoping you'd get some time off the days leading up to it, too," Fishlegs said, sadly.

"I'm, uh…I'm still working that out," Hiccup lied, and Fishlegs seemed to cheer up considerably.

"Come on, you know he's only backing out because he knows I'll whoop his ass," Snotlout goaded as he lazily scratched Hookfang's chin.

"A Monsterous Nightmare against a Night Fury? Unlikely," Fishlegs retorted.

"It's happened before!" Snotlout snapped, defensively.

"You mean during Thawfest? Everyone knows Hiccup threw that race—except you, apparently," Astrid chimed in.

Snotlout scoffed and turned his back to them, evading the truth by engaging Tuffnut in conversation instead.

"Well, I'm sure the Chief will let you off the hook leading up to Winter Nights. Then maybe Snotlout can finally take a huge dose of humility," Fishlegs said, patting Hiccup on the shoulder. "It's going to be great to finally fly with you again."

Hiccup sighed heavily as Fishlegs walked away.

"I'm glad you'll be able to get the time off for Winter Nights," Astrid said, hugging his arm.

That was the last straw. He got to his feet and dusted the sand from his pants. Astrid remained seated, gazing up at him with a confused look on her face.

"Walk with me," he told her.

00000000

Astrid's heart pounded in anticipation as she followed Hiccup away from the bonfire. She shivered as they ventured into the cold blackness that stretched out beyond the fire's warm glow.

"Is something wrong?" she asked him.

"I can't keep this up, Astrid," he said seriously. "I can't keep playing both the future chief and the head of the dragon academy. Both are a full time job."

"That's what you have Fishlegs and me for. We'll run the academy while you're going through training with your dad and—"

"But that's just it," he replied, coming to an abrupt stop; Astrid almost collided with him. "This isn't going to stop. Not in my dad's mind, anyway. I'm eighteen. I'm the future chief of Berk. This is who I am expected to be now. No more academy. No more dragon races. No more free time to spend with our friends."

"He expects you to stop _flying_?" Astrid asked, scandalized.

"No, but he expects me to grow up."

"Don't you think that's a little extreme of an approach, even for your dad?"

Hiccup rolled his eyes impatiently. "Have you _met_ my dad?"

"But…what about running the academy?" Astrid asked. "What happens to it if you're out of the picture?"

"The job is yours, and Fishlegs'. Permanently. If you want it," he said, and even in the moonlight Astrid could make out the disappointment on his face.

"I can't take that from you," she said softly.

"You're not _taking_ anything from me. There's vacant position and it needs to be filled."

"Hiccup…"

She really did not know what to say. She had not really expected that something like this could happen. Sure, he had not really be able to run the academy while he was following Stoick around, but when had the temporary arrangement become immutable one? She thought back to all the times in the recent weeks where she had teased Hiccup about wanting to goof off instead of accepting responsibility. She felt guilty for it. Now, she finally knew better and she wanted nothing more than to help him. To solve his problem the way he had so often solved hers, but if this was the Chief's doing, what could she possibly hope to do about it? Apparently, Hiccup felt the same way.

"Maybe, if we all got together and pleaded your case? We could do it during Winter Nights—"

"Ugh! Stop!" he groaned, clapping a hand to his forehead. "_Enough_ about Winter Nights! It's not going to happen!"

"I thought you told Fishlegs—"

"I _lied_. Okay?"

Astrid was taken aback.

"But…you _have_ to have the night off," she pleaded, not that it was doing her much good.

She wanted so desperately for him to spend the holiday with her. It was important, damn it. She had plans and Hiccup had no clue what an integral part he played in them.

"Don't. Don't make it sound like I'm being the difficult one, here!" he snapped.

Oh, sweet Thor. Were they…fighting now? It was an unusual and unexpected turn of events.

"I'm not! I'm just trying to consider other options. I'm sorry if _I_ haven't given up yet!" Astrid said, defensively.

"What other options are there, Astrid? Ask my dad for mercy? I've tired that one. I've been trying it my whole life! Here's a tip—it doesn't work!"

"If you tried asking from a different angle than 'hey dad, I want to goof off with my friends,' maybe you could get somewhere?"

"Is that what you think of me?" Hiccup asked, furious. "I suppose you think I just approach my dad like, 'Hey! Can I have the night out to screw around with my girlfriend?' Because that just sounds _so_ much better!"

"I'm not your girlfriend!"

"Oh. My. _Gods_, Astrid! Why does that even matter so much to you? I suppose you just like to make things more complicated than they need to be?"

"I didn't realize being together was such a problem for you!" she hissed back.

Things were snowballing out of control, as they so often did when things got raw between them. Why did words come much easier when spoken in anger?

"Well, you certainly don't make it easy!" Hiccup retorted.

"You know what? Then let me simplify things for you—if our relationship is such a burden to your busy schedule, then you can just forget about it! You already seemed to have given up on everything else. What's one more thing, right?"

"You don't mean that," Hiccup said, dismissively. "You're not breaking up with me."

Astrid crossed her arms stubbornly. If he pushed her, she would certainly consider it. She was tired of his moodiness and tired of him claiming the victim in all of this. He was not the only one who was disappointed, and he was not the only one who would suffer from the changes Stoick was demanding him to make. If he was just going to roll over and die, then Astrid was happy to let him, but she wanted no part of it.

"I'm going back to the bonfire," she declared, turning on her heel and storming back towards the other teens.

She heard Hiccup calling after her, but she was done with their argument. She was fuming and she needed some kind of distance before she said something she _really_ regretted.

0000000000


	3. Berk Knows How To Party

**Author's Note**: I realize there are some HTTYD fans out there who just follow the movie and have not seen the TV show. That's cool n' all except that I do reference it from time to time. Normally, that's not an issue, but I do bring a character from the show into this chapter. Go to the How To Train Your Dragon Wiki to catch up if you think you need to. I tried to post the URL but this website won't let me because they suck like that. Other than that, happy reading! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

**Disclaimer: **Nothing's changed. Still don't own HTTYD.

0000000000

A week had passed since their argument on the beach and Hiccup and Astrid had not yet spoken again. Hiccup was busy during the daylight hours, of course, but Astrid had not sought him out during the evenings as she usually did. With her still being so angry at him, Hiccup was not very motivated to try to reconcile with her. He was not too keen on being yelled at again, as she undoubtedly would. Their paths occasionally crossed around the village but they did not share more than a nod of acknowledgment before continuing on their separate ways. He assumed that, in spite of the fight they were having, or whatever it was, they were still together. Then again, Astrid was so determined to leave their relationship as undefined as possible, he was not even sure what "together" meant to her anymore.

Had they found themselves in a similar quarrel years ago, Hiccup would have assumed Astrid legitimately hated him, and he would have bent over backwards to regain her favor. Now, he was much too preoccupied with other things to fall at her feet and beg for her forgiveness. He was smart enough to know that if she did not care about him, she would not waste the energy being mad at him. She would treat him with same disinterest with which she treated Snotlout, in that case. She seemed to still be affected by their argument and Hiccup chose to take it as a good sign. He hoped things would work themselves out eventually, because at that moment, he did not have the time to spare to fix the mess they had made. His days now revolved around preparation for Winter Nights, which was only hours away, and it was doing nothing to improve his mood.

He was to spend the afternoon helping his father and a couple of volunteers prepare the Great Hall for the festival. While the stronger Vikings were stacking barrels of wine and mead, and other volunteers were hanging up decorations, he had been tasked with shuffling around the long tables to create a sizeable space for the dancing and entertainment. Stoick was helping him, but considering how heavy the tables were, he would wager his father was actually doing most of the work.

They had made only a little progress before the double doors burst open and Gobber came limping in, looking rather cross. Outside, Hiccup could hear the roar of dragons and the cries of delight from the other teens.

"Dragon races! All day, Stoick! It's the second time this week! They've even got the young ones in on it now! Yeh can't go anywhere without fear of yer helmet being knocked clean off!" Gobber grumbled, hobbling over to them to lend a hand—the only one he had left. "Yeh think yeh could _do_ something about it?" he asked Hiccup, irritably.

"I would, but it's not my problem anymore," Hiccup replied with a frown, as the three of them dragged another table into place.

"What's he goin' on about, Stoick?" Gobber asked curiously, quirking an eyebrow.

"Hiccup's no longer in charge of the dragon academy. He has passed that responsibility on the Fishlegs and Astrid in order te better devote his time and energy into other responsibilities," Stoick explained.

"Yeh think that's _wise_? I mean, I know Astrid can handle Snotlout and the Twins, but she was nowhere te be seen out there. It's pretty much just Fishlegs tryin' te keep the others under control. It's goin' about as well as could be expected," Gobber replied, scratching his chin.

"Wait, Astrid's not there?" Hiccup asked, concerned.

"Yeah, she's been off, working on some project or somethin'…when she's not lookin' after yer dragon, of course," Gobber said.

"What's she—?"

Stoick interrupted by saying, "Hiccup, go get control of yer friends, then come right back here. There's still a lot of work to be done and we can't have Snotlout and the Twins destroying Berk in the meantime."

"So, I can't run the academy but it's still up to me to keep my friends under control?" Hiccup asked, angrily. "How is that fair, exactly?"

"Are they not still yer people? And are yeh not still their chief?" Stoick asked.

"Well, that's not how I look at—"

"Don't make me ask again, son," his father said firmly, in a way that strongly suggested it would be unwise to argue further.

"Fine," Hiccup said, exasperated.

He strode out of the Great Hall, slamming the doors shut behind him. He had accepted the new responsibilities his father was pushing onto him, but it was a brand new low to be asked to put his title and status above his friends.

As he descended the stone steps towards the village below, he spotted Snotlout, the Twins, and five of their students flying low over a row of houses, nearly knocking over a man who was trying to repair his roof. They were whooping and cheering, completely oblivious to the danger they posed. Fishlegs was following far behind them on Meatlug, futility begging for them to slow down and exercise caution. Of course, he was being ignored. If Hiccup did not intervene, it was very possible the other teens and their pack of students might cause someone a serious injury. He dreaded the conversation, but they needed to be stopped. He could only hope he could appeal to them as Hiccup, their friend, and not Hiccup, their chief.

He whistled loudly for Toothless, hoping the dragon was close enough to respond quickly to his summon. He really did not want to borrow another dragon if he could help it, but if Toothless did not show up, he would have even accepted a Gronckle as long as it got the job done. Luckily, he heard a familiar roar and the Night Fury came bounding up from between two houses, still wearing his riding apparatus. He smiled in relief.

"I am so glad to see you, bud," he told Toothless, running a hand along the dragon's jaw.

He still flew with Toothless every morning, but that was usually the only time they spent together anymore. The Night Fury growled softly at him, and Hiccup could tell Toothless was pleased to see him, too. They had always been able to understand one another as clearly as if they spoke the same language. Hiccup was not sure how the dragon seem to know exactly what he was saying, but he was glad for it.

"I need your help. We have to stop the others from leveling Berk to the ground," he told Toothless as he climbed up into the saddle.

The Night Fury snorted and stretched out his wings, as eager to be airborne as Hiccup was.

"Let's go," he said, and Toothless obeyed.

The feeling of the wind rushing through his hair as they soared towards the other riders was incredible. It was like taking the first breath of air after being held underwater for too long. He still managed to fit their morning flights into his busy schedule, that was true, but it was not enough. He was in his element, soaring through the skies on the back of Toothless. It was where he was meant to be and he missed it, running around Berk, playing chief. He had been spending far too much time on the ground in the recent weeks.

In no time at all, they had caught up to Fishlegs and Meatlug, both of whom were surprised to see them. It was just another things Hiccup loved about Toothless; his Night Fury's speed was unparalleled.

"Hiccup!" Fishlegs exclaimed in a mixture of both surprise and great relief. "Thank Odin you're here!"

"Why is that, Fishlegs? You seem to have everything under control," he said sarcastically.

"If by control you mean complete and utter mayhem then…yes?"

"Where is Astrid?"

"How should I know? I was about to ask you the same question," Fishlegs asked, brow furrowed.

There came a scream from up ahead of them, and Hiccup saw one of the younger dragon trainers dip down between a couple of houses, trying to pass another student. In doing so, the trainer sent a poor woman ducking for cover, forcing her to drop the bucket she had just fetched from the nearby well, spilling water all over herself.

"This is ridiculous," Hiccup said to Fishlegs. "I'm putting an end to it."

He clicked the tail fin mechanism into position and Toothless gained an impressive burst of speed.

"Good luck!" he heard Fishlegs call after him.

Toothless passed the students easily, and they all whooped in excitement as he flew by. Apparently, they thought he and Hiccup had joined the competition—they were mistaken. Toothless flew even faster, pulling ahead of Barf and Belch and Hookfang, earning shouts of protest from the Twins and Snotlout.

"No late entries!" Snotlout snapped.

"It's not fair to race a Night Fury," Tuffnut complained.

"I wish I'd have known we'd be racing for second place!" Ruffnut hollered.

When Toothless was far enough ahead, he stopped abruptly, whipping around to hover in the flight path. The other riders struggled to avoid slamming into Hiccup and Toothless, resulting in a massive midair pileup of dragons. It was a tangled mass of claws, snouts, and wings. Snotlout, the Twins, and a couple of students swore loudly as they tried to untangle their dragons and remain airborne.

"Have you completely lost your mind?" Ruffnut asked angrily.

"Yeah! What gives?" Tuffnut added.

"You're the ones that have lost your minds, racing through the village like that!" Hiccup snapped. "You could have _killed_ someone!"

"Yeah, but we _didn't_. So, what's the problem?" Snotlout replied with a scowl.

"The problem is you can't seem to do anything without leaving a path of destruction behind you! The rest of the village is trying to prepare for Winter Nights—today is not the day to be chasing you around, trying to stop you from hurting yourselves or someone else."

"Listen to him talk like we're his responsibility," Snotlout told the Twins, who chuckled.

"You _are_ my responsibility!" Hiccup retorted.

"Not from what we've heard," Tuffnut replied.

"Yeah. Fishlegs told us all about your new job—how you're too important to mingle with the likes of us now," Ruffnut said.

"What are you talking about?" Hiccup asked irritably.

"Astrid told Fishlegs, who told us. You're not in charge of the dragon academy anymore. Apparently, it's too beneath you, or something," Snotlout replied.

"I didn't say it like that!" Fishlegs said, finally catching up to the rest of them. He glanced at Hiccup and said earnestly, "I didn't, I swear!"

"I don't think the dragon academy is beneath me, and I don't think I'm more important than any of you!" Hiccup said firmly to Snotlout and the Twins.

"Sure," Tuffnut said, sarcastically.

"Oh, gods! Look, I have a lot on my plate and I really don't have the time or the energy to get into this right now. If you want to keep racing, all I ask is that you move it to the sea stacks, and leave Berk out of it," Hiccup said wearily.

"On what authority?" Snotlout asked smugly. "You're not the boss anymore."

"I was _never_ your boss," Hiccup replied firmly.

"Well, you kind of are now," Fishlegs said. "You're Berk's next chief. That does make you sort of second-in-command around here."

Hiccup knew Fishlegs was only trying to help, but he really wished he would not. He was only making the situation more difficult and uncomfortable.

"There you have it! Should we fall to the ground and start kissing your boot?" Snotlout teased.

"Chief Hiccup, Master of Berk! We bow before you," Tuffnut said in a regal tone, before bowing his head in an overly exaggerated manner.

"What can we, your humble servants, do for you, m'lord?" Ruffnut asked, in the same mocking tone as her brother.

Everyone was laughing except for Hiccup and Fishlegs. It was too much. Astrid was mad at him. His father was constantly on his case. Now his friends were rubbing his nose in the whole sad situation. He did not want to be put in this position of authority over them in the first place, but it was his father's doing. If his friends would rather mock him than respond to the diplomatic approach, Hiccup's patience had worn thin enough to resort to more drastic measures.

"Alright, fine. If that's how you want it, then so be it," he said angrily. "You all are grounded until further notice! That goes for you, too," he added, pointing to the students.

There was a collective gasp and everyone wore the same dumbstruck look on their face as if he had just slapped them.

"You can't do that!" Snotlout hissed. Then he turned to the others and asked, "_Can_ he do that?"

"Yes, I can," Hiccup answered. "My dad made me come out here to talk to you, and since you won't listen to reason, I have no other choice. I didn't want to do this, but you brought it on yourselves. Think of the order as if it comes from the Chief, himself, if that makes it easier for you."

Snotlout opened his mouth to say something ugly, no doubt, but Fishlegs interrupted him.

"Am I grounded, too?" he asked, the tone in his voice was pleading.

"No, Fishlegs. You've been the only responsible one here. I see no reason to ground you, too. You can still fly," he said.

"Thank Odin!" Fishlegs exclaimed, leaning over to hug Meatlug's thick neck.

There were shouts of protest from the younger teens and they begged him to reconsider.

"We didn't know!" one of them exclaimed.

"We we're just doing what they said!" said another.

"What are we supposed to do if we can't fly dragons?" a girl asked, horrified.

"I'm sure you can figure it out. You can start by finding yourselves better role models," Hiccup said. "If any of you have any more complaints, take it up with my dad. I'm through here."

He and Toothless landed smoothly back on solid ground. He watched as the other riders reluctantly headed back to the academy, and Hiccup would not have been surprised if they were cursing him the whole way. He sighed heavily and dismounted from Toothless, feeling sick to his stomach. He could not believe what he had just done. He knew what it felt like to be grounded, and there were not too many punishments that were worse than that, in his opinion. Dragons were such an integral part of life on Berk now, especially for the younger generations. To be grounded was to be like a bird with its wings clipped, or a lame horse. It took almost all of the enjoyment out of life. On top of that, Hiccup never wanted to be viewed by his friends as lording over them. He had tried so hard to keep his responsibilities as chief from interfering with his personal relationships as much as he could, but he kept on failing. He had already messed things up with Astrid, and now his friends were the next casualties in this war between what he wanted and what was required of him.

Toothless kept nudging him, and though Hiccup tried to brush him off, he was persistent.

"What? What is it, bud?" Hiccup asked, scratching the dragon under the chin.

Toothless raised back on his haunches and sniffed at the air. Then he fell back onto all fours and fidgeted impatiently stretching out his wings.

"No, Toothless. I'm sorry, but we can't keep flying right now. I have to get back to the—"

The Night Fury's pupils narrowed into catlike slits and he snarled angrily, bearing his teeth.

"Toothless…"

Hiccup reached out his hand to touch the dragon in a placating gesture, but Toothless would not have it. He turned around and ran off in the opposite direction with a growl. Hiccup had to jump aside to avoid getting smacked by Toothless' tail as the Night Fury departed.

Great. Now his dragon was mad at him, too. Was there anybody he had not managed to disappoint yet?

"Hiccup?" came an all too familiar voice.

He felt his heart skip a couple of beats and he glanced over his shoulder to see Astrid standing there, clutching a satchel bag that was draped across one of her slender shoulders.

"Hi…Astrid," he said slowly, trying to gauge her mood—he wanted to know if he should prepare to run or not.

"I was watching Toothless earlier and he just ran off. I was looking for him. I though I heard him, just now," she explained.

She had spoken more words to him in the past minute than she had that whole week. Hiccup was not sure if he should start feeling optimistic yet, but he remained cautious, keeping the conversation light.

"He just took off in…that direction," Hiccup replied, gesturing after Toothless.

Astrid approached him and his pulse quickened. He did not know what to expect, but he was ready to dodge any punches aimed his way.

"I suppose you're busy?" Astrid asked casually, as if she was remarking on the weather.

"I, uh…I have a minute," he lied.

"Oh, well…that's good," she replied awkwardly, shifting from one foot to the other.

It was ridiculous. How old were they, thirteen? Were they to start acting like blushing innocent youths again?

"Astrid, if you have something to say to me, I wish you would just say it," Hiccup said softly.

"I don't know what you mean," she said with a shrug.

Hiccup sighed heavily. He really did not have the time to get into it if Astrid was going to needlessly complicate things, as she was apt to do. He chose to keep the conversation on the neutral ground.

"Thank you for taking care of Toothless in spite of…everything," he said, and Astrid raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Gobber told me you were," he added.

"Well, it's not like Toothless needs looking after. He_ is_ a dragon, after all. There's not really much I can do for him…but he does look a little lonely sometimes, so I've just been spending time with him, and feeding him…," she replied.

"I appreciate it all the same," he said, turning to leave for the Great Hall.

"Hiccup, wait!" Astrid exclaimed, grasping him tightly by the wrist.

He took a deep, steadying breath. If she was about to chastise him for something else, he was prepared to give her a piece of his mind.

"I know you're going through a lot right now, and I know I haven't been as understanding as I could be…," she said, loosening her grip on him.

Whatever he had been expecting her to say, it was not that. He turned to face her again and their eyes locked and his breath caught. Gods, why did Astrid have to be so beautiful? It made it so hard for him to think straight, sometimes. Thankfully, he still had enough frustration left in him to provide mental clarity to stand his ground.

"I'm glad you've noticed," he said flatly.

Astrid sighed heavily and replied, "Hiccup, how can you expect me to fully understand what you're going through when you don't let me in? When you keeping shutting me out?"

"Shutting you out of what?"

"You know very well what!" she stated, waving her hand impatiently. "I'm trying hard to understand why you are so resigned about giving up on everything you love."

"It's not as easy as that, Astrid."

"Then help me make sense of it," she pleaded. "I can't help you if I don't know where to even start."

"I didn't ask for your help. I didn't want you to worry about this. It's my problem."

"I know! You rarely ever ask for help. You are so determined to do _everything _on your own—to shoulder all your own burdens. It's not fair."

"What do you mean 'it's not fair'? Not fair for whom?"

"For me!"

"H-how did this suddenly become about y—?"

"It's not fair to make me just stand by and watch you hurt!" she said firmly. "You've done it for years! You made me watch as you were nearly killed by the Red Death, because you were determined to defeat it by yourself, and for what? To prove you could? To prove your worth to everyone? To yourself? Then you made me watch those first few weeks as you struggled to get used to having a metal leg. You wouldn't accept any help. I watched you limp, I watched you nearly fall countless times, and it was obvious how much pain you were in, though you denied it. Then, I watched as you were almost killed by my crazy ex-fiancé, but I suppose that wasn't my problem either?"

"Okay, I get your point," Hiccup said, with a frown.

Astrid made him sound so insensitive when she laid it all out like that, which he suspected was her goal, but he did not think it was very just of her to turn it all on him. She was just as guilty of her own headstrong, incorrigible ways.

"So tell me, Hiccup—why won't you let me help you? Why won't you let me in? What are you so _afraid_ of?" she asked earnestly.

He was not going to give into her that easily—not when she had also contributed to the whole mess they were stuck in.

"I'll trade you one for one," he replied, taking a step towards her; she stepped back reflexively. "Why are you so determined to define our relationship as anything but what it really is? What are _you_ so afraid of?"

Astrid was caught off guard by his question. She just stared back at him, at a loss of what to say.

"Hiccup, I…"

"If you answer my question, I'll answer yours," he said simply.

Astrid was quiet for a moment, and she shifted the satchel onto her other shoulder. Finally, with a defeated look in her eyes she said, "I guess I'll see you around tonight, at the festival."

So, that is where they were going to leave it, then? For as badly as she wanted unfettered access to his innermost thoughts and feelings, she was still reluctant to share hers. If she was not going to be vulnerable for him, he did not see the value in being vulnerable for her. She already held too much power over him as it was. He had let her have her way too often for too long, but he had to draw the line somewhere.

"Yeah. I'll see you tonight, Astrid," he replied nonchalantly. "As much as I can, anyway."

She nodded then leaned in and hesitated for a moment as if she was unsure of herself. Making up her mind, she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and pulled back just as hastily. She had not touched him in days and to feel her lips on him now, however chastely, was pure torment knowing that, in light of the circumstances, he could not have her.

"I should be getting back…," he told her, wanting neither to leave nor to stay, but he did not know how else to end their mutual discomfort.

"Of course," she said quickly. "I have my own 'to-do' list for tonight, anyway."

She patted her satchel bag and for a moment, Hiccup was tempted to ask what was in it. Then he remembered they were technically still fighting, neither one of them having truly forgiven the other, so he kept his questions to himself. He watched as Astrid walked away, thankful that they were at least on speaking terms again. Things were not back to normal between them by any means, but they were certainly better. He was happy to take what he could get.

0000000

Night had descended quickly on the archipelago, not that Astrid could complain. As the sunlight retreated, the festival roared to life. Winter Nights was finally upon them and not only was the entire village in attendance, but Trader Johann had made the trip from the far reaches of Thor knew where to enjoy the celebration. He was the reason they had so much wine to share that year. Typically the wine was reserved for the innermost circle of Berk's social elite—which naturally included clans like the Haddocks, Hoffersons, Jorgensons, and others families of repute. Everyone else just drank mead. Thankfully, that year, Trader Johann had procured some additional barrels from his travels, and there was plenty to go around.

There we also a few faces Astrid did not recognize amongst the crowd, but some of the furthest charted islands in the archipelago had a few, very small villages that they knew of. These settlements were of no threat to Berk, and were actually part of their trade network. Astrid would not describe these small collections of souls as tribes in the same way Berk was. They were more or less clans that had defected from their tribes and established a homestead of their own. Astrid admired their bravery and independence, especially considering the number of wild dragons, pirates, and marauders lurking out in those waters. Still, these little settlements seemed to manage, and they would occasionally make the trip to Berk for occasions such a Winter Nights. Astrid was surprised they kept coming back, after witnessing the goings on once enough mead and been flowing.

She walked amongst the long tables, admiring the collection of food that was laid out for all to enjoy. The fire pits were lit and cauldrons bubbled with an assortment of meat and stews, filling the Great Hall with a number of mouth-watering aromas. People were gathered around the cauldrons and huddled together at the long tables, laughing, swapping stories, and partaking of the food and drink. Music added to the cheerful atmosphere, and a few people were already dancing, which usually was more common as the night carried on and people became more inebriated. Astrid wondered if they had started their drinking a little too early, but they were giggling and having a good time, so she supposed it did not really matter.

Stoick took a moment to stand before everyone and give thanks to the gods for a bountiful harvest season, and prayed for their future blessings in the months to come. He prayed to the gods and spirits to bless the food as well. Around the Great Hall, people raised their tankards and goblets and cried out in unison, _til árs ok friðar!_ The phrase translating to, "for a good year and peace!" The merriment returned in full swing once the blessings came to an end.

Astrid spotted her friends gathered at an otherwise empty long table, each with a tankard of some alcoholic beverage, be it wine or mead. She hurried over to join them, holding her satchel bag tightly to her side as she ran, protecting its contents. There were an abundance of food laid out before them and they were all sharing amongst each other, as was customary.

"Astrid!" Fishlegs exclaimed happily, waving furiously at her—so much so that he sloshed a bit of mead down the front of his tunic. "Oops!" he giggled, clearly already feeling the effects of his drink.

"You are such a lightweight," Ruffnut said, rolling her eyes.

"Where's your drink?" Tuffnut asked Astrid, sounding almost offended that she did not have her own tankard in hand.

"I just got here. Give me some time to catch up!" she replied.

"What kept you?" Ruffnut asked curiously.

"I was just finishing up a project I've been working on," Astrid said, absentmindedly fiddling with the strings on her satchel bag.

"What are you carrying _that_ around for?" Snotlout asked, suspiciously.

"Well, for none of your damn business, that's why," she replied firmly.

She took a seat next to Fishlegs and removed her bag, setting it on the ground between her feet.

"Where's Hiccup?" she asked, scanning the Great Hall for him.

"Why do you want him here? To ruin our fun?" Snotlout asked bitterly. "That asshole already grounded all of us—well, except Fishlegs."

"He _what_? That…that doesn't sound like Hiccup," Astrid asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Well, he did. Your boyfriend's got a major stick up his ass nowadays," Tuffnut said before taking a large swig of mead.

"He's not—nevermind," Astrid muttered. "Where's_ your_ man, by the way?" she asked Ruffnut, changing the subject.

"Oh, I dumped him days ago," she said nonchalantly. "I'm single again tonight."

"Of _course_ you are," Astrid replied, shaking her head.

Ruffnut just ignored her, making eyes at one of the young men from the visiting villages instead. The poor soul unwittingly returned her interest, giving her a suggestive nod.

"Well, that's good enough for me," Ruffnut said, standing up from the table. "You may or may not see me again later, depending on how this goes."

As she made her way over to her new victim, Snotlout shouted, "Boy, you'd better run!"

She whipped around a made a very rude gesture at Snotlout, who just laughed and poured the rest of Ruffnut's mead into his own tankard.

"Hey! Hey, Azztrid! Did'choo know Heather's here?" Fishlegs asked, already slurring his speech.

"What! Really?" Astrid replied, looking around for their dark haired acquaintance.

"What are you so excited about? I thought you hated her," Tuffnut said, scratching his head.

"We more or less came to an understanding before she left."

Heather was a girl from a small village nestled on one of the outlying islands in the archipelago. It was true that Astrid had serious misgivings about her when the first met, which turned out to be justified when they discovered she had been working for Alvin the Treacherous, to help him steal the Book of Dragons for his own nefarious purposes. It later came to light that Heather had only been acting out of concern for her parents, who were being held hostage by the Outcasts until she retrieved the information Alvin wanted. Admittedly, Astrid's initial irritation with Heather had been a result of Hiccup and the other boys paying her considerably more attention. Snotlout and Tuffnut, Astrid could not have cared less about, but when Hiccup had seemed to show some interest in Heather, it was more than she could stand. Thankfully, everything had been resolved. The Book of Dragons had been retrieved from Outcast Island and Heather's parents were rescued. It also seemed like Heather's attraction to Hiccup had only been so she could get close enough to steal the book in the first place. Hiccup had also swore to Astrid up and down that he had no romantic feelings for Heather. All that considered, when Heather had finally departed Berk, she and Astrid were at least on friendly terms. It had been years since they had seen her.

After craning her neck for a few seconds, Astrid finally spotted Heather standing with her parents near a fire pit. They were being entertained by whatever wild stories Gobber was sharing.

"I'm going to say hello," Astrid told the others, picking up her satchel and swinging it over her shoulder.

She hurried over to the other girl, who smiled broadly when they made eye contact.

"Astrid!" Heather cried, hugging her tightly.

"It's been a while," Astrid said, patting her on the back as they shared a friendly embrace. "Why has it taken you this long to come and visit us again?"

"You know our island is so far out there. We don't have trained dragons at our disposal, either. It makes travel a bit more cumbersome," Heather explained.

"I would have thought your time with us would have taught you a thing or two about training dragons."

"It did, but I'm partial towards Nadders, and they don't fly out that far. We mostly have scauldron's and thunderdrums to choose from. Neither care too much to be trained."

Astrid had to agree with that. The only trained thunderdrum she knew of had been Stoick's Thornado, before the chief had set him free. Their experiment to train three baby thunderdrums had been a disaster, and Ruffnut had been the only person close to training a scauldron. Albeit, that was only because it was hurt and her hair smelled like fish oil.

"Well, I don't blame you for wanting a Nadder," Astrid said with a small smile, remembering too well how Heather had stolen Stormfly on two separate occasions.

"I also wouldn't mind a Night Fury, if I could find one," Heather replied with a laugh.

"Wouldn't we _all_?"

Heather started scanning the room as Astrid had.

"Speaking of Night Furys and Vikings who ride them…where is Hiccup? I was hoping I'd get to see him while I was here," she said.

There was an eagerness in her voice that had Astrid feeling defensive, but she squashed it down, remembering that the relationship between Hiccup and Heather was strictly platonic, according to both of them. Astrid glanced around the Great Hall and spotted Stoick and Hiccup standing near the barrels of mead, speaking to some of the visitors to Berk—or rather, Stoick was speaking and Hiccup was standing there quietly, looking positively sullen.

"Come with me," Astrid said, grabbing Heather by the hand.

She led the other girl over to where the chief and his son were standing. When there was a lull in the conversation, Astrid stepped forward and tapped Hiccup on the shoulder. He jumped a little in surprise and he looked even more shocked to see her standing there, grinning at him.

"Astrid, what—?"

"Look who I found!" she said brightly, ushering Heather forward.

Hiccup glanced at her for a moment, looking confused, but his eyes widened when the realization hit him.

"Heather? Oh, my gods! Is that you?"

Heather beamed and threw her arms around him. Hiccup hugged her tightly and the two of them laughed, positively giddy to see each other again. Too giddy, said a voice in the back of Astrid's head.

"It's so good to see you! It's been too long," Heather said as they broke apart.

"I agree. How have you been?" Hiccup asked.

"Well. Really well. I can't complain," she replied with a shrug.

"I hope you haven't had any more issues with pirates since we last met," he teased, making a jab at the story she had spun about pirates kidnapping her parents all those years ago, instead of Alvin and his bands of Outcasts.

"No, no more pirates," Heather responded, with a wink.

"Hiccup, who is this?" Stoick asked, interrupting the conversation he had just become aware of.

"Dad, I'm so sorry. Where are my manners? This is Heather, from one of the outlying islands. She helped us retrieve the Book of Dragons from Alvin four years ago. Remember?"

"If I recall correctly, did she not steal it first?" Stoick asked, quirking a bushy eyebrow.

"Uh, yeah…I…I've kicked that habit, don't you worry," Heather replied, grinning sheepishly.

Stoick laughed and said, "I am just givin' yeh a hard time, lass. Any friend of Hiccup's is welcome on Berk. I hope yeh are enjoyin' yerself."

"Oh, yes. Very much, thank you."

As Stoick and Heather made small talk, discussing her trip and the festival, Astrid found herself standing face-to-face with Hiccup, an awkward silence settling between them. She did not really know what to say to him. There were a lot of things that needed to be said, but Winter Nights hardly seemed like the time or place.

"Are you enjoying the festival?" he finally asked her, breaking the silence. The question sounded well-rehearsed, like he had been repeating it over and over again throughout the night.

"Yes, I am. I wasn't expecting to see Heather here, though! That was a nice surprise," she said.

"Yes, it was."

"She was really eager to see you again."

"I'm glad you brought her over. I would have hated to miss her."

Astrid could kick herself. She had managed to steal a few seconds of Hiccup's precious time and they were spending it talking about Heather. What was _wrong_ with her? She needed to steer to conversation in a new direction, and fast. She reached into her satchel, rummaging around for her secret project she had been working on for the past week.

"So, Hiccup…if you are able to sneak away for a moment, then I have—"

"Hiccup!" Stoick exclaimed, clapping him on the shoulder. Thankfully, it was Hiccup's good one. "We have te keep makin' the rounds. Come on, son."

"I'm sorry, Astrid. Heather. It was nice talking to you both. Please, excuse me," he said politely before dutifully allowing his father to guide him towards the next group of Vikings.

Astrid withdrew her hand from her bag and sighed heavily as he walked away. Hiccup glanced back over his shoulder one last time, and he gave her a look that was more apologetic than anything else. Heather seemed clueless.

"Wow, the years have certainly been kind, don't you think?" she asked, giving Astrid a playful nudge as they walked back towards the other teens.

"What are you talking about?" Astrid replied, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.

"Hiccup, of course! When did he become so _handsome_? Had I known, I would have definitely come back to Berk much sooner!" Heather said with a laugh.

Astrid had the sudden urge to strangle her friend.

"He's…he's always had his own sort of appeal," she said defensively.

Heather quirked an eyebrow. "So, are the two of you…?"

"_Yes_," Astrid responded, a little more forceful than she had meant to.

"I'm so sorry. Of course you are. I didn't mean to—it was my mistake," Heather said quickly.

"It's okay. I get it, believe me," Astrid replied, patting her shoulder reassuringly. "He's…something else."

"He is. You're lucky."

They sat back down at the long table with the others, and Snotlout wasted no time in shamelessly flirting with Heather. Tuffnut tried to join in, but Snotlout would not give him the opportunity. Heather took it in stride, occasionally casting Astrid a sideways glance, and the two of them would quickly stifle the fits of laughs threatening to escape them. Fishlegs was talking nonstop to anybody who would listen about the uncharted territories outside of the archipelago and the strange dragon species he thought one might encounter there. Since the two other boys were busy trying to woo Heather, Astrid was the only audience Fishlegs had. She tuned him out for the most part, but he was oblivious.

More people were dancing by then, although it was less coordinated movements and more hopping tipsily around in time with the music. Gothi, the tribe matriarch, was telling fortunes as best she could for being mute. Gobber, meanwhile, led a couple tables in a very off-key rendition of the song, _My Wife For An Ax_, which was slowly gaining momentum with the neighboring tables as well. They had arrived at the point in the evening where conversation got lewd and hands started to wander, but by that point, most people were too swept up in the festivities to care. It was just your typical holiday on Berk.

"I'm going to go get something to drink," she told her friends suddenly, rising to her feet.

"Can you get me some wine while you're up?" Heather asked.

"Sure."

Astrid made her way over to the barrels of wine and mead, passing Ruffnut and her latest conquest. She had to quickly look away however, because she was pretty sure she was not meant to see all of _that_. It was not as though they were exactly hiding the obscene amount of groping and fondling taking place, but Astrid had no desire to watch it unfold.

She grabbed two empty tankards from the table set up next to the alcohol. She filled one with wine, as Heather requested, and the other with mead for herself. She was about to head back to her table when she noticed Hiccup and two other men approaching.

"Alright, let's get those empty barrels out of the way," he told the two stronger Vikings.

They nodded and began removing the empty barrels, pulling them down and rolling them aside.

"Hiccup, I wanted to ask you—" Astrid began.

"Sorry, Astrid, but I'm a little busy at the moment," he replied quickly, cutting her off.

"Where do yeh want them?" One of the men asked.

"We'll put them over in the far corner near the archive room. My dad will figure out how best to repurpose them in the morning, I'm sure," Hiccup replied.

He joined the two other Vikings in rolling the barrels away, but Astrid was determined not to be ignored. She decided offer her assistance, if it meant she could exchange a few quick words with Hiccup. She set her drinks aside and helped him roll a particularly large barrel.

"Thanks," he told her as they moved it back behind the others, into a dark and dusty corner of the Great Hall that was seldom used; no one bothered to read the old records and explore the village archive with the exception of Fishlegs, it seemed.

"I've been wanting to ask if you were going to make it to the Send Off tonight," she asked quickly, before he had the opportunity to evade her question again.

Every Winter Nights concluded the same way. They paid tribute to the souls of the dead, honoring their departed loved ones and fallen heroes to receive their blessings for the upcoming year. It sounded like a somber note to end the festival on, but it was actually a very joyous one, celebrating the lives lost, rather than mourning them.

"Probably not. My dad is going to oversee the Send Off while I'll most likely be here, supervising the cleanup crew," Hiccup told her.

Astrid was about to argue, insisting he try to swap duties with his father instead, but a fist fight broke out around a nearby fire pit, causing quite the commotion.

"Oh, gods," Hiccup sighed wearily. "Do you have this under control?" he asked to two other men, gesturing at the barrels.

They nodded and he ran off to break up the fight, although Astrid did not know how effective he hoped to be, trying to placate two drunk, burly Vikings himself. She retrieved the two tankards she had set aside and made her way back to the other teens, feeling a little defeated.

"What do you think _that_ was about?" Tuffnut asked amused.

He and Snotlout watched as it took the combined efforts of Hiccup, Stoick, and Gobber to finally break up the fight.

"I heard Bothvar the Blunt has been shacking up with Gudrod the Grim's wife while he's been away on those long fishing trips," Snotlout chuckled.

"I'm glad you find the idea so amusing," Astrid replied with biting sarcasm.

"Sometimes things are boring on Berk. You have to find entertainment where you can," he replied with a shrug.

"I thinkiz terrible!" Fishlegs groaned, laying his head down on the table.

"And I think you've had enough," Astrid said, sliding his tankard away from him.

"I sure haven't!" Tuffnut chimed in, claiming Fishleg's drink for himself.

"Hey, Astrid!" Snotlout said suddenly. "I challenge you to a drinking contest!"

She rolled her eyes and replied, "Why, in the name of Thor's saggy left—"

"Azztrid nooo!" Fishlegs gasped, clapping his hands over his ears.

"—Would I agree to something like that?" she concluded.

"What if I make it interesting?" Snotlout inquired, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"Do tell."

"If I win, you have to kiss me—a _real_ kiss, preferably with Hiccup watching so I can see the look on his dumb face. Vengeance will be sweet!" Snotlout said with a nasty grin.

"Ugh. Are you doing this because you really want to kiss me or because you're more interested in getting back at him for grounding you?" Astrid asked, angrily.

"Maybe a little bit of both. Does it matter?"

"And what do I get if I win?"

"Name it."

Astrid gazed down at her tankard thoughtfully for a moment. Normally she would never agree to such a stupid idea, especially if Snotlout was the one who posed it. Still, she could not help but notice Snotlout was at least two or three drinks ahead of her, and she was no lightweight herself. She thought long and hard about what would be worth engaging Snotlout on his level, and kicking his butt in a drinking contest.

"Okay. Fine. If _I _win, you have to abstain from making any joke at Hiccup's expense, or mine. That includes jabs at our relationship, anything sexual in nature, and absolutely _no_ amputee jokes. For at least a month!"'

"Take away _all_ my fun, why don't you?" Snotlout replied with a scowl.

"Ha!" Tuffnut exclaimed, pointing directly at Astrid. "So you_ are_ in a relationship with Hiccup!"

"Well, that much was obvious, I thought," she replied with a frown.

"Yeah, but he's your _boyfriend_?" Tuffnut asked, looking smug.

Astrid blushed and tried to play it casual, hoping in the dim glow of the festival lanterns, no one could tell how uncomfortable the question had made her. "I don't get hung up on those kind of details," she said with a shrug.

"Uh huh," Tuffnut replied, sitting back with a satisfied smirk.

Heather was glancing back and forth between Astrid and Tuffnut with a puzzled expression.

"Okay, did I miss something?" she asked. "Astrid, I thought you told me that you and Hiccup were—"

"Snotlout!" Astrid said loudly, desperately trying to change the subject. "Do we have a deal or not?"

"Deal!" Snotlout answered, slamming his fist on the table.

Fishlegs, who had dozed off, awoke with a start and mumbled something unintelligible before falling back to sleep in his drunken stupor.

"Alright then, let the battle commence!" Astrid declared, raising her tankard.

"You're all talk now, Astrid, but there is _no way_ you can out-drink _this _Viking!" Snotlout said, arrogantly.

000000

**Author's Note:** In case you skipped over my note the first time, Heather is a character from the TV show. You can go to the How To Train Your Dragon Wiki to read up on her if you really want, in case the show is foreign to you. I think I pretty much covered everything you need to know about her in this chapter, though. I just don't want a review going "OMG WHO IS HEATHER?" Because seriously. I've spelled out like 3 times, y'all.


	4. Cohesion

**Author's Note: **So, you know that awkward moment where you're watching part 1 of the two-part Dragons: Defenders of Berk season finale, and elements of your fic end up playing out before your eyes? Well, I do. All of that stuff about Hiccup grounding people and struggling with being the leader AND still a good friend in my fic was totally in the most recent episode. I'll admit, I was a little weirded out by it. But I guess that means my ideas are good enough that the writers of the show had the exact same ones. I guess that teaches me to reference a TV show in my fic before the current season is over with!

**Disclaimer: **Legal stuff n' things.

0000000

Astrid slammed another empty tankard down against the table, grinning triumphantly at Snotlout, who looked like he was about to puke as he forced down another large mouthful of mead.

"Whazza matter Snoutlout? You pussing out on me already?" Astrid asked, goading him on, even though she was feeling intoxicated.

"If you weren't a girl, I'd hit you!" Snotlout retorted, swaying a little in his seat.

Astrid laughed and reached for another tankard. Heather had been generous to procure enough of them for the drinking contest to go on, uninterrupted.

"Iz only drink number…what number are we on again?" Astrid wondered aloud, turning to Heather.

"Four," she replied, watching the two of them knock back mead with an amused little smile on her face.

"Aren't you going to get another drink?" Tuffnut asked, also slurring his speech, nodding to the wine Heather had been working on slowly for the past hour.

"Oh, no. They are doing enough drinking for everyone," she replied, gesturing to Astrid and Snotlout.

"Shhhut up, both of you! Thisss iz serious!" Astrid demanded, slapping her hand against the table. "Do you give up, Lotsnout?"

"Never! Lotsssnout never gives up! I'm going to drink you under the table, Aztrid!" Snoutlot replied, reaching for another round.

"Then lez go again, if you're _Viking_ enough!" Astrid cried, raising her drink in the air.

"You're going to regret those wordsss!" Snotlot remarked, clinking their tankards together.

They both began chugging mead again, as fast as they could stomach it, and that was the last thing that Astrid would be able to remember that night.

000000

It was funny how time could play tricks on a person. All the Winter Nights prior had seemed to go by too fast, the night ending as soon as it had really gotten started—or rather, that was how it had always felt to Hiccup. That year's festival, on the other hand, was dragging by at a tortuous pace. There had been no change to the length of the celebration. Instead, there had been a change of perspective. Holidays were not nearly as enjoyable when he was running them, he realized.

He was not one for small talk, but he had followed his dad around, mingling with the visitors from other villages, ensuring they were being shown the best of Berk's hospitality. Granted, that pretty much extended to good food, drink, and copious amounts of crude humor, but their guests still seemed entertained. He was also in charge of rotating the empty barrels with the full ones, and making sure the necessary Vikings kept the feast in abundance. The festival goers were to want for nothing. He was also to keep the peace, deterring any conflict before it got out of hand, fueled by the steady flow of alcohol and the fall of inhibitions.

His roles as chief, it seemed, was to place everyone's happiness above his own. His father had been doing it for so long it had become natural for him to consider holiday celebrations in that manner. It was an entirely new way of looking at things for Hiccup. It was not that he did _not_ want his people to enjoy themselves, but he was eighteen. He was still young. He wanted to have the freedom to dance the night away, eat himself into oblivion, and drink until he passed out on the ground—not that he would have actually done any of those things, but it would have been nice to at least have the _choice_.

Finally, it seemed as though Odin Allfather had decided to be merciful and the midnight hour was upon them. Slowly but surely, everyone began to filter out of the Great Hall towards the docks to ready themselves for the Send Off, bringing another successful Winter Nights to its end.

It was customary for the bravest and most beloved of Viking warriors to be buried at sea, set adrift in a flaming vessel to carry them to Valhalla. No higher honor could be bestowed in death, and in order to pay tribute to departed loved ones every year, they would mimic this ritual. Tiny little hand-carved longships were set adrift with the names of those who had died scratched into the hull. Each miniature ship had a small well in the center which would be filled with oil and set alight as they drifted out to sea. It was actually kind of a beautiful thing to witness, but Hiccup did not mind missing it. While the rest of the village would sing and dance, celebrating the dead, the whole event made him feel sad and hollow.

"Hiccup, will yeh be able to handle things here?" Stoick asked as the last of the stragglers made their way to the double doors.

"I don't know, dad. I always thought I was much better at causing messes than cleaning them up," he replied with small smile.

Stoick laughed softly and patted him on the back, causing him to nearly lose his balance.

"I will see yeh back here when the Send Off is finished," Stoick said before taking his leave as well.

Hiccup sighed heavily, turning to survey the task ahead of him. Thankfully, he was only required to oversee the cleanup of the Great Hall, offering his help where it was needed, like rearranging the long tables and whatnot. With years of festivals under their belts, those who stayed behind to put the Great Hall back together again were largely self-sufficient, leaving very little for him to do at that moment. He knew he still had a few minutes until the tables were cleared and the cauldrons removed from the fire pits. Then he would be asked to help drag the long tables back to their usual configuration. In the meantime, he took the opportunity to sit down and rest, finally. He glanced up when he felt someone sit down beside him.

"Gobber! I thought you would be going to the Send Off with everybody else," Hiccup said, quirking an eyebrow at the older Viking.

"Eh, yeh've been to one Send Off, yeh've been to 'em all," Gobber replied dismissively.

A woman walked by, carrying a bundle of decorations in her arms. She cast Gobber a reproachful glare as he neglected to help the cleanup efforts.

"Don't get yer underpants in a twist. I'll be there in a minute!" he told her impatiently; she huffed and stormed off.

"Don't you have anyone you want to want to remember?" Hiccup asked, knowing Gobber had no _living_ relatives to speak of.

"I don't need te set a tiny wooden boat on fire te remember my loved ones…but I can see the appeal fer everyone else."

Hiccup nodded and buried his face in his hands, breathing deeply. He was so very, very tired. His bed was calling his name, and he could not wait to put the whole night behind him.

"Yeh look like yeh could use this more than me," Gobber said, nudging him in the shoulder.

He glanced up to see the man offering him a full tankard of a dark burgundy liquid.

"That's Roman wine, or so Trader Johann says. I don't know if I believe him with the stories he likes te tell, but it's good stuff either way," Gobber explained. "I haven't drank any of it, I swear!"

Hiccup took the drink and smiled appreciatively. He replied, "Thanks, Gobber."

"Eh, don't mention it. I've seen the way yeh've been mopin' about lately. I figured this could help lift yer spirits."

"I haven't been moping," Hiccup said defensively.

"Boy, if there was a contest fer the biggest wet blanket on Berk, yeh would win hands down," Gobber responded with a chuckle.

Hiccup rolled his eyes before drinking deeply from the tankard. He closed his eyes as the wine hit his lips, savoring sharp, spicy flavor. He typically did not care much for alcohol, having seen enough of its effects to avoid it on most occasions, but there never was a more appropriate night to give it another shot. He had to admit, it was not quite as unpleasant as he remembered—but then again, last time he had tried wine was when he was ten, on a dare from his cousin. It had been during Snoggletog and Snotlout had dared him to steal a sip from his father's goblet when the man was not looking, or else he was going to tell Astrid that Hiccup liked her. There had been nothing more terrifying to his prepubescent brain than having the girl of his dreams know that he had a crush on her—not that it probably would have surprised anybody, in hindsight. The wine he had stolen did not agree with his childhood taste buds and he had spat it out almost immediately, vowing to never touch the stuff again while Snotlout roared with laughter at his expense. _Oh, the memories._

"I've been meanin' te ask yeh, not that it's any of my business, but…is everything okay between yeh and Astrid?" Gobber asked, proving that he was more astute than Hiccup often gave him credit for.

"I, uh…why do you ask?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe it's because the two of yeh have been near inseparable in recent months, and now yeh are goin' out of yer way to avoid her," Gobber said with a shrug of his massive shoulders.

"Right. Because I've had so much _time_ to devote to other things, lately," Hiccup retorted sarcastically.

"Aye. I'm sure that's all it is," Gobber replied with a thinly veiled skepticism in his voice.

Hiccup took another large sip of wine, drowning the rude comeback that was trying to escape his throat.

"Well, like I said, it's not any of my business," Gobber said, rising from the table. "Better get back to it."

He, predictably, hobbled off to assist the other men who were unstacking and relocating the barrels of alcohol. Hiccup suspected he had ulterior motives for choosing that task, since there were already enough abled bodied Vikings to do the job. He could not find the motivation to delegate Gobber to a different chore however, so he continued to sit there, slowly drinking the wine the older man had given him. He enjoyed a few peaceful minutes alone before he was approached by a welcome distraction with long, black hair.

"Heather! I thought you would have been down at the docks with everyone else," he said, gesturing for her to sit down.

She happily obliged, settling in next to him.

"I would have gone down there, but your friends are far too interesting," she said, grinning.

"That's…_one _way to put it," he replied; she laughed. "You're very generous."

He truly was glad to see her again. He had not gotten much of an opportunity to know the real Heather when they had first met four years ago. By the time she had finally been honest with them, she had to return home with her parents. She was a sweet enough girl, though. Under different circumstances, he was confident she would have been a valuable member of his group of friends, but life had other plans for them. Regardless, he was thankful he had the chance to get to know her now.

"So, Chief of Berk, huh?" she asked, pulling him back out of his thoughts. "Okay, I'm impressed."

"You're giving me too much credit. I'm not the chief—not yet, anyway," he replied.

"Well, whenever that day comes, I'm sure you'll be great," she said, gently patting his arm.

"That seems to be the consensus around here. I'm not sure I believe it, though."

Heather smiled at him and replied, "I guess we'll just have to wait and see, but I have a feeling I'll be saying 'I told you so' someday."

"If it means you'll be visiting Berk more often, I'll be glad to hear it," he told her.

"Maybe I'll just move here then, if you want to see me so badly," she teased, giving him a playful nudge.

"Even better," he said, and he meant it.

They talked for a few minutes more, discussing what each of them had been up to in the four years since her last visit to Berk. Hiccup left out the more dramatic parts, including everything that had transpired with Astrid and her arranged marriage. He did not see the point in sharing any more details than he absolutely needed to give Heather to general picture of what had been going on in his life. Heather listened to him intently, genuinely laughing at his dry and sarcastic humor. As she spoke about her own adventures, and failed attempts at training scauldrons and thunderdrums, she spoke with such passion and excitement, Hiccup could not help but smile at her stories.

"You must be pretty desperate for a dragon if you keep trying to train the untrainable," he said, quirking an eyebrow.

"What can I say? You got me hooked. I managed to train a Terrible Terror once, but they aren't much for a reliable form of travel," Heather replied.

Hiccup chuckled into his tankard of wine as he took another sip.

"No, they most certainly aren't," he agreed.

They grinned at one another for a moment, enjoying each other's company. Then, she caught him by surprise when she suddenly leaned in and kissed him on the lips. He immediately recoiled from her, eyes wide with shock.

"Heather! Wh-what are you—?"

"I figured I'd never have another chance to do that," she answered, unapologetically.

"As flattered as I am, I didn't mean to give you the wrong impression. I'm more or less…_taken_ at the moment."

"Oh, I know all about you and Astrid. Anybody with a working pair of eyes can see it," Heather said nonchalantly—more than he felt she had and right to be.

"Then…why would you kiss me, knowing that?" he asked, perplexed; women could be so damn confusing.

"Because I like you, Hiccup," she stated matter-of-factly. "Besides, I know the kind of person you are."

"Meaning what, exactly?"

"You are not the type of man to let a harmless little kiss like that go any further than it was supposed to," she said. "So, I figured, no harm done."

He raised his eyebrows at her, not really sure how to respond to that.

"Look, I didn't come here with expectations," she told him, reassuringly. "I'm not trying to come between you and Astrid—that girl really packs a punch, and I don't ever want to be on the receiving end, again. Take that kiss for what it was—a confession. Nothing more, nothing less. We'll leave it behind, right here, at this table."

"Yes, that would probably be for the best," he concurred.

They sat in silence for a minute, and Heather gave him a sheepish little grin as she nervously tucked some loose hair behind her ear.

"Well, I should probably go find my parents. They said we were setting sail as soon as the festival was over," she told him, quickly getting up from the table.

"But you just got here," Hiccup protested, not sure if that was the most appropriate thing to say, given what had just happened.

Heather just shook her head and said, "Most of our village came out to this festival. It's not a good idea to leave our island so sparsely populated for too long. There are still wild dragons, marauders…and _pirates_ to worry about."

"Oh, no. Pirates. Thor, forbid," Hiccup replied sarcastically and Heather gave him a playful wink.

"Goodbye, for now," she told him, heading toward the double doors.

"Goodbye, Heather."

"Oh!" she exclaimed, stopping suddenly. "You might need some help with your friends. I don't think they'll be up and walking anytime soon."

Hiccup turned around and glanced at the opposite end of the Great Hall, where Snotlout, Fishlegs, Tuffnut, and Astrid were all slumped over, empty tankards littering the table and the floor around them.

"Oh, for the love of—I can't believe this," he muttered under his breath.

Really, he should have expected it from Tuffnut and Snotlout…but Fishlegs and _Astrid_?

Heather giggled and said, "It was entertaining to watch, at least."

Hiccup rolled his eyes and replied, "I really wish you wouldn't encourage them."

"Hey, I had nothing to do with it! It was all your girlfriend and Snotlout. Tuffnut joined in just because he could and Fishlegs…well…he was already like that when I got there," Heather explained.

Hiccup sighed heavily and said, "At least nobody got hurt this time."

"Are injuries a common occurrence with your group, then?"

"Yes. It's unusual no one is bleeding. I guess I should count my blessings."

Heather laughed and started walking towards the exit again.

"I'll see you around, Hiccup," she said with a small wave.

"Don't be a stranger," he replied. "I mean it."

She gave him a sweet smile before slipping out of the Great Hall, closing the double doors behind her. Once she was gone, he quickly made his way over to his friends, checking in with the various cleanup crews as he passed by—they all denied his offer to help, and he was grateful. Perhaps assigning him the task of overseeing the whole thing was his father's idea of a reprieve for working so diligently? As he approached the long table where his friends were lying, draped across the tabletop amidst the collection of empty tankards, he noticed Astrid was still awake. She was shaking Fishlegs feebly, but the other Viking remained passed out, mouth slightly open, his drool forming a small puddle on the wooden surface.

"Fissshlegs! Fissshlegs! Hey! I won. Tell Lotsnout, I won," she mumbled.

Hiccup had seen Astrid intoxicated before, but it was nothing compared to how she was at that moment. She was usually a loud, and boastful drunk, but overall in good spirits. He had never see her in a state where she was so completely helpless.

"Astrid, look at me," he said softly, placing a hand on her shoulder.

She slowly turned to look at him, blinking a couple of times as if she was trying to get him into focus.

"Hiccup? Izzat you?" she asked, swaying a little as she tried to sit up.

He gripped her firmly by both arms to steady her, and her head bobbed sharply. She groaned and leaned forward, wrapping her arms around his waist and burying her face into his stomach.

"Everything's ssspinning," she whined.

"Yeah, well…that can sometimes happened when you're shitfaced," he said exasperatedly, not bothering to hide his frustration.

"Don't yell at me," she mumbled, hugging him tighter.

"I'm not yelling at you, Astrid," he said wearily, stroking her hair gently.

"I beat him, though," she said, looking up at Hiccup with heavy eyelids.

"What are you talking about?"

"Sssnotlout. I beat him. Drinking contezz," she replied.

"Great. We can add that to your long list of accomplishments," Hiccup said, sarcastically.

"He haz to leave uz alone, now. No more jokes! We agreed," she explained.

"Well, that's fantastic except that neither one of you will remember it in the morning."

He really hated taking care of drunk people—and on Berk, they were in not in short supply. For all his sarcasm and witty remarks, Hiccup considered himself to actually be pretty patient with most individuals, but his tolerance for alcohol-induced stupidity was very low.

Astrid whimpered and pressed her face back into his abdomen.

"I feel awful," she groaned, fisting her hands in his tunic.

Hiccup was about to make another insensitive remark, but he was interrupted by Gobber, who had just limped over to see what the problem was.

"Oi, what's all this mess about, then?" he asked, surveying the scene with great interest.

"Apparently, there was a drinking contest between Astrid and Snotlout, and this is the aftermath," Hiccup said, flatly.

Gobber chuckled and replied, "It must have been an epic battle, by the look of it."

Astrid suddenly stiffened and pulled away from Hiccup. She doubled over and loudly vomited up a copious amount of festival food, causing Gobber to jump aside to avoid needing a new peg leg.

"Yep. Pretty epic," Hiccup said dryly.

"Oh, come _on_!" someone from the cleanup crew yelled angrily at the sight of Astrid being sick, all over the floor.

"Ehm, maybe yeh should take Miss Hofferson home?" Gobber suggested, eyeing Astrid with pity. "I think the best remedy fer the girl is plenty of rest."

"What about the Great Hall?" Hiccup asked curiously, but he was already helping Astrid to her feet.

"Don't yeh worry. Stoick used to enlist my help before he passed all the responsibility on te yeh. I can take it from here."

"Thanks Gobber. I owe you one."

"Yeh owe me nothin'!" Gobber said, waving his hand dismissively. "A chief has te look after his people, right? I would say Astrid needs yeh more than anyone else does at the moment."

"What about them?" Hiccup asked, nodding to Fishlegs, Tuffnut, and Snotlout.

He and Gobber considered the other drunken teens for a moment, then they looked at one another, shrugged, and said in unison, "Eh. Leave 'em."

Astrid was not making much use of her legs so Hiccup draped one of her arms across his shoulders, holding on to it firmly with one hand, while he wrapped his other arm tightly around her waist. Getting her home was going to be a clumsy, slow-going process, but he was willing to give it his best shot, for her. Before he could make it even a couple of steps, Gobber stopped him.

"Hang on. I believe this belongs te Astrid," he said, holding up a leather satchel he had retrieved from beneath the table.

Hiccup recognized the bag at once, remembering that Astrid had been carrying it for nearly the entire day—or so he assumed. She had been wearing it every time he had seen her. He released her arm only long enough to slip it onto his own shoulder.

"Thanks again, Gobber," he said, and he was genuinely grateful for the older man.

In spite of all his coarse ways and questionable values, Gobber had been there for Hiccup when no one else had been. Granted, when he first had taken him on as his blacksmithing apprentice, Gobber was just as repulsed by the very idea of him as everyone else on Berk. Eventually, Gobber took some kind of mild interest in him, for no other reason than Stoick had forced Hiccup onto him. He began offering advice and guidance under the guise of mockery and criticism. Not entirely clueless, Hiccup had realized Gobber was probably one of the few "friends" he had back in those earlier years—though he used the term loosely. Gobber was always willing to act as a sort of mediator between Hiccup and Stoick, at any rate. That gave Hiccup the impression that the older Viking cared, on some level. Now there he was, doing it again, and Hiccup could not help but feel Gobber was as close to the "favorite uncle" figure as he was ever going to get. His _real_ uncle, Snotlout's father, was about as loving and involved in his life as a man named _Spite_lout could be.

"Yeh let me know later how she comes out of it," Gobber said.

"I will," Hiccup replied, readjusting his grip on Astrid to give her more support.

He half walked, half dragged her along until they were standing outside in the frigid night air. He glanced at the steep, narrow stairs that led down into the village proper, and immediately decided against using them. He defaulted to his backup plan and whistled for Toothless. Hiccup hoped he would come, even after he had upset the dragon earlier that day, but his loyal Night Fury seemed incapable of disappointing him. Sure enough, he saw a large black figure bounding up the stone steps towards him, large green eyes seeming to glow in the moonlight. With how quickly the dragon had responded, he could not have been far away. He had probably been waiting all night for Hiccup to emerge from the Great Hall.

"Hey, Toothless!" he said, relieved.

The dragon warbled faintly, lowering his head in a slightly submissive gesture. Hiccup instantly understood what Toothless was trying to tell him.

"It's okay, bud. I'm the one who should be apologizing. If you help me get Astrid home, I promise we can go flying until the sun comes up, if you want to."

Toothless perked up, ear nubs twitching excitedly and Hiccup smiled fondly at him.

"I thought you might like that idea. I'll probably pay for it tomorrow, when dad's dragging me all over the island, but I owe it to you," he told the dragon softly.

Toothless turned in a semicircle and crouched low to the ground, making it easier for Hiccup to lift Astrid up into the saddle.

"Thanks, bud," he said, patting the dragon's thick, scaly neck.

He climbed up on Toothless' back, settling in behind Astrid. She had already begun to slump over, in danger of sliding off, so he pulled her back against him and wrapped one arm around her.

"Let's go, Toothless. You might want to take it easy, though—unless you want Astrid to throw up all over you," Hiccup warned him.

The Night Fury took off, gliding down the stone stairs towards the center of the village. It was a quick trip while riding Toothless, and the dragon was still capable of gliding short distances without assistance from Hiccup and the prosthetic tailfin. It was a much easier process than if he had tried to walk Astrid home himself.

When they arrived at the Hofferson household, Hiccup hopped off Toothless' back and turned to face Astrid. She groaned weakly and started to slide off in his direction, unable to keep her balance on her own. He gently tugged on her hand causing her to tumble the rest of the way off of Toothless and into his outstretched arms. The Night Fury growled softly with concern.

"I've got her, don't worry," he told Toothless, lifting Astrid completely off the ground. "I'll be back soon."

He carried her through the front door of her house, glad that her parents were still at the Send Off. It would have been an awkward situation, explaining to the Hoffersons why he was holding their nearly unconscious daughter in his arms.

As he climbed the stairs towards her room, he was glad Astrid was of a slender build, because he could not imagine carrying her if she was anything like the other two-thirds of women on Berk. His bad shoulder was already seizing up on him as he nudged her bedroom door open with his foot. He sighed in relief as he laid Astrid down on her bed, because he had gotten her home safely, and because his shoulder felt considerably better. He hung her satchel bag on the nearest bedpost.

Astrid whimpered and wrapped herself tightly in her blankets, opening her eyes sluggishly.

"Where'm I?" she mumbled, looking up at him.

"Your room. I brought you home. I figured it would be more comfortable than lying passed out in the Great Hall all night," he told her, sitting down beside her on the edge of the bed.

She reached out for him and he took her hand in his, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"I'm sorry," she apologized.

"For what?" he asked, brushing her bangs out of her eyes.

"You're soooo busy. You're always busy."

Hiccup felt a stab of guilt at that. Toothless and Astrid were the two most important parts of his life, and he had been neglecting them both. It was not like his father had given him much of a choice in the matter, but he understood what Astrid had meant when she accused him of giving up. In a way, he had. He had resigned himself to the fact that he had to play chief now. It was not what he wanted, and he hoped she understood that. But now she was miserably drunk, and he felt responsible. Astrid was an adult and she made her own decisions, but he thought that maybe, if he had been there, they could have avoided the whole pitiful situation. Why did the happiness of the rest of the tribe, and more importantly, his father, have to come at the expense of the ones that mattered the most to him?

"You're always so busy. M' sorry. You shhhould be back there, but instead, you're here," she mumbled into her pillow.

"Yes, Astrid. I _am _here."

She scooted closer to him, wrapping her arms around his waist, hugging him tightly.

"Please…stay," she whispered softly.

He wanted to, and Gobber was covering for him. He could stay with her if he chose to. But it was one thing for her to sneak over and spend the night at his house, and something entirely different for him to spend the night at hers. His father did not care what he and Astrid did upstairs, alone. Mr. Hofferson, on the other hand? Well, as much as Astrid's father liked him, he would not hesitate to run Hiccup through with a sword if he actually caught them sleeping together—and that was literal sleeping, completely clothed and everything. Hiccup hated to think what gruesome fate awaited him if Astrid's father ever caught them actually having sex. He knew her parents had to know what was going on, or at least suspect it. They were not stupid. Still, he supposed as long as they never had any concrete proof, they could continue to pretend their daughter was still untouched. Ignorance was truly their bliss, and Hiccup intended to keep it that way.

"_Please_, Hiccup," Astrid said, her embrace becoming more desperate at his hesitation.

"I can't," he replied, regretfully.

"But—!"

"Astrid, you _know_ I can't."

She buried her face into his side and took a shaky breath.

Oh, gods. Was Astrid going to _cry? _He was not sure he was prepared to handle it. He had known her their whole lives, and he did not think she had ever cried. In fact, he was willing to bet that even as an infant, there were no tears from Astrid Hofferson. Whenever she had wanted something, he bet she just stared up at her mother with a look of fierce determination until she got it.

"Hiccup…I love you," she murmured softly into his tunic.

When she pulled back a little, he noticed her doleful blue eyes were brimming with unshed tears. He figured mead was responsible for the uncharacteristic display of vulnerability, but he was not about to let Astrid ruin her own hard won reputation for being the toughest Viking maiden on Berk. He wiped them away with his thumb before they had the chance to fall.

"I love you, too," he told her, gently cupping her cheek.

"Hiccup, I…," Astrid struggled to find the words, looking suddenly very serious. "I wanted to tell you—"

"How about you save it for tomorrow, when you're sober? Then we can try this again."

"Yesss…that is…yes."

She sighed heavily and collapsed, releasing his waist and laying her head down on his thigh. Her eyes fluttered closed and he suspected she was about to pass out for the night, so it was time to take his leave. He gently eased her back in the bed so she was situated comfortably, with her head on the pillow. He removed all of her armor and her boots before covering her fully with the blankets. Astrid made a contented sound and Hiccup smiled down at her as she curled up underneath the covers. He leaned forward to kiss her forehead before he departed, hoping they would have the time to sit down and truly reconcile, now that Winter Nights was over. His heart could not stand any more days of them being mad at one another.

As he turned to leave, he nearly tripped over a small dragon that had been sitting right behind him, staring up at him with portrudent eyes.

"Beard of Thor!" he exclaimed, stumbling backwards in alarm.

He attempted to grab onto a bedpost, but he missed and grasped Astrid's satchel, instead. The bag was old and the leather was thin and worn. The strap broke, sending both Hiccup and the satchel tumbling to the ground.

"Odin, damn it all!" he swore, as he sat back up, rubbing the side of his head that had struck the floor.

Sneaky, the Terrible Terror, scurried past him and hopped up into Astrid's bed, cuddling up against her as she slept. Hiccup glared at the dragon as he got back to his feet, retrieving the satchel bag from the floor. He examined the broken strap and sighed wearily. A new strap would be an easy enough fix, and maybe if he and Toothless were not out flying until dawn, he could mend the bag quickly and return it to Astrid sometime during day. It sounded like a good enough plan so he decided to take the satchel with him.

As he took a step toward the door, he kicked something with his prosthetic leg, sending it rolling across the room. It was then that he noticed the satchel felt lighter, and so he figured he must have spilled its contents when he tore it from the bedpost. Curious, he retrieved the item and held it up in the moonlight that poured in through Astrid's bedroom window—he needed to remember to shut that before he left. He turned the item over in his hands and recognized it as a crudely carved miniature longship. Gobber had mentioned that Astrid had been working on a project over the past few days, and the little wooden boat must have been it. For her first attempt, it was not bad, though Astrid was not really known for her aptitude for arts and crafts.

He turned it over one more time, searching for the name that the offering was meant to honor. When he found it, scratched into the side of the longship in Astrid's tiny handwriting, his heart stopped for a moment. He squinted in the moonlight to make sure he had read it correctly, and he had. There it was. A name he had not come across in quite a while. He felt like he had a large knot in his chest as he read it again.

_Valka_.

Hiccup felt a mixture of emotions—pain, sadness…_longing_. It was why he had avoided the Send Off every year since he was six or seven. The last one he could remember, families had stood celebrating their lost loved ones together. His father had been off doing whatever his chiefly duties required of him, which left a very young Hiccup standing on the docks, mourning his mother all alone. No one had been there for him, to put the joyousness of the Send Off into context. It had been hurtful and confusing to see people dancing and singing as they set adrift little flaming boats with their loved ones' names on them. Now that he was older, he understood that the festive atmosphere was meant in honor and not out of disrespect, but he still had never desired to experience another Send Off.

"Mom," he whispered, as he traced over the tiny runes with his fingertips.

He finally understood why Astrid had been so _insistent_ that he get time off for the festival, and why she had been badgering him earlier about the Send Off. During holidays, Stoick was often busy and Hiccup was left to his own devices—or at least that was how they used to unfold. That Winter Nights, she wanted to be his family, and he had constantly brushed her off about it. Even when he had told her, with all finality, that they were not going to be spending the holiday together, she had taken upon herself to carve out a longship for his mother. She had still been hoping for the chance to spend a meaningful moment together that night. She had not given up, even though he had.

There were no words great enough to describe how deeply and boundlessly he loved Astrid Hofferson in that moment.

He carefully tucked the miniature ship back into the satchel and closed the window to protect her from the unrelenting chill. He hurried back downstairs and out the door, where Toothless was waiting patiently for him.

"We have one more, quick stop to make, bud," he told the dragon as he leapt back into the saddle, clutching Astrid's satchel bag to his chest. "Then we'll go flying, okay?"

Toothless warbled softly and stretched out his wings compliantly.

"Thanks, Toothless. We're going to the docks."

0000000

The Send Off was over by the time Hiccup and Toothless had arrived. People were still singing as they staggered their way back to the village in various states of impairment, raising their tankards in the air, enthusiastically. Glancing out at the water, Hiccup could see the twinkling fleet of miniature longships as they sailed out towards the horizon. His father was standing at the end of one dock, saying his farewells to their visitors as they boarded their vessels for home. Some people had chosen to stay the night, sleeping on their ships, but others were ready to set out on their long journeys.

"Dad!" Hiccup called, jogging over to him.

Stoick's brow furrowed when he saw his son and Toothless hurrying down the dock in his direction.

"Aren't yeh supposed te be in the Great Hall?" his father asked, frowning.

"Gobber has it handled," Hiccup said quickly, slipping a hand into Astrid's satchel bag.

"Hiccup, yeh can't just—"

"Here," he interrupted, handing his father the tiny wooden ship Astrid had whittled herself.

"What is this for?" Stoick asked impatiently, glancing down at it.

"Read it."

His father turned the ship over in his hands just as he had done back in Astrid's bedroom. A look of astonishment spread across Stoick's face, as well as another emotion that Hiccup could not quite define. Stoick glanced up at him and they just stared at each other in silence. He was pretty sure his father was using every ounce of strength he had to not show any sign of weakness as he gripped the little longship tightly. Hiccup gave his father a supportive nod, placing a steady hand on the man's broad shoulder. They often had difficulty communicating, but Hiccup was certain they understood each other perfectly in that moment.

"This way," his father said, ushering him forward.

At the very end of the dock was a small jug of the flammable oil they poured into the little wells carved into the center of the miniature longships. Hiccup took the small boat from his father's hand and knelt down, setting it gently in the water. Stoick passed him the jug of oil and Hiccup poured some of it into the small well as he held the longship in place with his other hand. Toothless was sitting back, head tilted to the side, watching the whole thing curiously.

"Do we have something to light it with?" Hiccup asked his father, passing the oil jug back to him.

Stoick reached up and grabbed the torch from the post at the end of the dock. Hiccup took it from him, holding it close enough for the flames to just barely lick the oil, setting it ablaze. With a gentle push, he sent the little boat on its way, and the tide did the rest of the work. He rose to his feet, watching it chase the other boats that glowed out amongst the distant waves. He felt his father gently grab the torch from his hand, replacing it back to its proper post. They did not sing, they did not dance. They stood in somber silence in respectful memory of the woman who had only been in their lives for such a short amount of time.

They were standing side by side, watching his mother's boat sail further away in the darkness, and Hiccup wondered if she really could see them wherever she was now—be it Valhalla or not. Suddenly, his throat felt dry and it was much more difficult to breathe. He took a few deep breaths, trying to maintain his composure, and Stoick's shuddering breaths suggested he was struggling to do the same.

"So…dad?" he asked quietly, staring determinedly out at the moonlit sea. "What time should I meet up with you in the morning?"

Hiccup did not want to become chief so soon, but he had a responsibility to his father and to the rest of Berk. The dragon academy and the respect of his friends mattered so much to him, but as he watched his mother's miniature longship sail away, he realized there were things in life that were even more important than his own selfish desires. Life was not always fair, but he loved his father, and he loved Berk. As long as those two things were true, he would do anything either one required of him. The chiefdom was his birthright, and it was time he embraced that fact instead of resisting it.

Stoick placed a colossal hand on his shoulder and surprised him when he replied, "Why don't yeh take the rest of the week off?"

"I…_what_? What about all that accepting my responsibility and growing up business you were talking about?"

He had just made peace with the idea of the permanent role change, and now his father seemed to have completely flipped his position on it. What was going _on_? Hiccup could not keep up with everyone else's abrupt mood swings lately. It was exhausting him.

"Oh, yeh still can't escape all that, but I think yer approach has been all wrong," Stoick said, stroking his massive beard thoughtfully.

"_My_ approach?" Hiccup asked, indignantly. Since when had he had control over _anything_?

"As chief, yeh need te learn to take a more balanced approach te life, Hiccup. There are more important things than working yerself into the ground," Stoick explained, with a wink.

Oh. Okay. It was all meant to be an apology of sorts. Hiccup wondered why Vikings could not just come out a say what they meant. There would be fewer headaches to show for it.

"Balanced, huh?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow at his father.

Stoick nodded and said, "Life is te short and yeh are only young once." He glanced out at the tiny longship glittering in the distance and added quietly, "Yeh can't have regrets…"

Hiccup shifted uncomfortably, feeling like he was being intrusive by watching his father stare wistfully out at the sea, remembering some painful memory that was lost on him. Whatever his father was feeling as he thought about Valka, he had apparently had the same realization as Hiccup. There were more important things than his own selfish desires, which revolved around molding Hiccup into the perfect chief as soon as possible, for his own pride and peace of mind. They had both come to the same conclusion, but once again, they had ended up opposite sides of the priority spectrum.

"The only regret I would have is disappointing Berk. I know what that feels like and I don't want to go back to that place again," Hiccup admitted.

"Then go and life yer life. We'll take yer training slower, one step at a time. So, when the time finally comes, Berk will have a new chief that is ready and willing te take on the job. It could not ask fer anythin' more than that," Stoick explained.

"What happened to the urgency—the overwhelming sense of duty compelling me to spend every waking moment learning to be chief?" Hiccup asked.

Stoick chuckled, slapping him hard on the back, and Hiccup almost toppled into the water.

"It's not like yer ol' dad is going te drop dead tomorrow, right?"

Hiccup grinned in spite of himself and replied, "I guess not. There is still plenty of time before that happens."

"Time is all any of us really has, Hiccup. We can't know how much, so that's why we have te enjoy it while we're still here. I've not been doin' yeh any favors by makin' yeh spend all of yer time with me. After all, don't yeh have a dragon academy te run?"

"Wait…are you saying—?"

"It's a full time job, isn't it? We'll resume yer chiefdom trainin' next week, and we'll work it around _yer_ schedule, this time," Stoick said, waving his hand dismissively. "Thor knows yeh'd work yerself into the ground if I let yeh."

Hiccup could not believe it. He and his father had reached an actual…_understanding_? Had the stars truly aligned and their priorities were now in sync? It was a momentous occasion that should be documented for the archives, for it may very well never happen again.

Hiccup strode over to Toothless, who warbled excitedly as he climbed onto his back.

"I'm going to fly with Toothless for a while," he told his father. "Will you be heading back to the Great Hall?"

"No, not fer a little while longer. It's such…a nice night, don't yeh think?" Stoick asked turning back towards the horizon.

As his father spoke, the sea breeze battered them with its biting chill. It would be inaccurate to label that night as anything more than miserably cold, but Hiccup understood Stoick's intentions.

"I'll see you around, dad," Hiccup said, locking his prosthetic into Toothless' tailfin mechanism.

"See yeh around, son."

Toothless pushed off hard from the dock, and soon they were racing towards the stars above. Hiccup barely minded the numbing sting of the frigid wind as they climbed higher into the night sky. There was a sense of peace that came over him as they soared through the clouds. Finally, all the pieces of his life were beginning to fit together. There never had been such cohesion between freedom and responsibility before, and all it had taken was his father's blessing. Hiccup had always struggled to balance them both, always leaning more towards one than the other, at any given time. Usually, it was due to someone else's expectations—and that someone, more often than not, was his father. He was not sure how long Stoick's generosity would last this time, but he was determined to make the most of it, before his father changed his mind, as he eventually would. Stoick just seemed to have an innate hatred for fun and free time that could not be overcome, whenever Hiccup was concerned. In fact, his father's change in attitude had been so unexpected, that Hiccup wondered if someone else had a hand in it.

As Toothless glided high over the village, Hiccup glanced up at the stars above them. He never gave much thought to the divine powers that be or the lingering presence of souls long departed, but he could not help but wonder if someone was looking out for him after all.

_Thanks, mom_. _Wherever you are_.

00000

**Author's Note:** Be kind, please review. :) It won't hurt you, I promise! Thank you to those of you who have already left one. I appreciate the continuing support! Cheers!


	5. Sweet Candor

**Author's Note: **I'm sorry this has taken me so long to write y'all. Unlike my last story, which had a lot of action, this story has been completely emotion-driven. That meant I had to really take the time to write the following scenes so that everything was neatly wrapped up and emotionally satisfying. I hope I did alright. My sexy editor from my first story collaborated with me on this and I am forever indebted for his input.

Thank y'all so much for riding this angsty train with me!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own HTTYD or any of its characters—I just like to borrow them and inject drama into their fictional lives. It can be very satisfying.

00000000

Astrid awoke with a pounding headache. It felt as though someone had tried to cleave her head in two, and she could not remember what the outcome of the drinking contest had been. It terrified her. Did she win? Did Snotlout win? Oh, gods! Did she _kiss_ Snotlout? If she had kissed him, had Hiccup seen it? The thought made her dry heave—or maybe it was the residual effects of all the mead.

She was suffering from a pretty nasty hangover—worse than any she had in a good while. The room spun a little as she sat up in bed, her blankets falling into her lap. She realized she was in her room, but she could not remember walking home. Maybe she had managed to stumble all the way back to her house, but as drunk as she had been, she did not think she was capable of making the trip without any help. She wondered if Fishlegs had brought her home, but he was worse off than she was before the contest had even started. It was unlikely he had been the one to help her. Maybe it had been Heather? It surely was not Snotlout or Tuffnut, considering the two of them did not even have half a brain between them. It surely had _not _been Hiccup. He would have been too busy to even notice how intoxicated she was. He was too busy to notice much of anything anymore. Maybe…Ruffnut? Her head gave a painful throb and she hissed, pressing her palm firmly against her forehead. Thinking hurt.

She stumbled out of bed and opened her window, initially shielding her eyes from the sunlight until they adjusted to the brightness. The village appeared to be unusually quiet and still, but given what she knew about holidays on Berk, she was not the only one who was suffering a hangover. Most of the tribe was probably hidden away in their houses, recovering from the night's festivities. The position of the sun in the sky told her it was about midday, give or take an hour, and she wondered if there would be anybody to prepare lunch in the Great Hall. Her throat was dry and her stomach growled painfully, urging her to venture out of her house even though she just wanted to sleep.

Reluctantly, she threw on her boots and armor, realizing whoever had brought her home had enough consideration and foresight to remove them while she slept—that definitely ruled out Snotlout, Fishlegs, and the Twins. She hurried downstairs to hear two sets of mighty snores drifting out from her parents' bedroom. Apparently, they had enjoyed themselves a little too much as well, and she doubted they had been the ones to take care of her. By process of elimination, it definitely had to have been Heather.

Astrid stepped outside and shivered from the late autumn chill, rubbing her arms vigorously to generate warmth. As she walked through the village, she noticed Toothless was curled up outside Gobber's smithy, still equipped with all his riding gear. It was odd to see him there, to say the least. The Night Fury did not typically spend his time around the shop unless Hiccup was inside, tinkering with something.

She did not waste much time pondering over the Night Fury's curious behavior however, because curing dehydration was her top priority. She paid a quick visit to the nearby well, satisfying her thirst with some ice cold water. The relief was almost immediate, soothing the dry, scratchy sensation in the back of her throat. She glanced back at Toothless between large gulps and noticed the dragon was staring at her expectantly; curiosity finally got the better of her. Once she felt sufficiently hydrated, she strode back over towards Toothless, who perked up as she approached. She reached out a hand, and the dragon leaned into her touch as she rubbed his scaly jaw affectionately.

"Hey there, Toothless. What are you doing out here? Is Hiccup around?" she asked him.

The level of understanding she shared with the Night Fury paled in comparison to the bond he shared with Hiccup, but the dragon seemed to communicate better with her in recent weeks than he ever had before. Whether it was the result of more one-on-one time, or Toothless simply showing a greater interest in her, she did not know. Maybe it was both? Either way, Astrid did not pretend to understand how dragons did what they did—that was a topic more suited for Hiccup or Fishlegs to speculate on. The two of them could prattle on for _hours_ about it. Odin, bless them.

Toothless growled softly and glanced in the direction of a small room tucked off to the side of the forge. Astrid knew it was where Hiccup would retreat to when sketching up new designs for his various inventions. The room did not contain much, save for a desk and a small stool, and the walls were decorated with Hiccup's "artwork".

Astrid gently patted Toothless on his snout before making her way over to the small side room, pushing open the door. Sure enough, she found Hiccup with his head and arms on the desk, fast asleep with a very familiar satchel in his lap. Her stomach gave a little flip when she saw the bag—she had not even realized it was missing, having forgotten all about it in her drunken state. A half-dozen questions raced through her mind: Why did Hiccup have it? What was he doing at the smithy? Was he not supposed to be with his father? Why was he asleep in the middle of the day? Had he found the miniature longship meant for his mother? If he had, what had been his reaction to it? She had to know.

She reached out and gently brushed his hair out of his face.

"Hiccup," she whispered softly, trying to rouse him slowly.

He flinched at her touch but did not wake.

"_Hiccup!_" she said a little louder, shaking his shoulder gently that time.

He stirred, but only to turn his head in the opposite direction, and Astrid sighed heavily. The gentle approach was getting her nowhere, as it so rarely did on Berk. She took a step back and aimed a hard kick at the stool beneath him. It jerked a couple of inches and Hiccup awoke with a start, sitting bolt upright and glancing around in alarm.

"Sleep well?" she asked him, hands on her hips.

"Astrid?" he replied groggily, just noticing she was standing there. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you, of course."

"What time is it?"

"Midday, or close to it."

Hiccup yawned and rubbed his eyes, saying, "I was up all night, flying with Toothless and working on your satchel. The sun was already up by the time I finally went to sleep."

Astrid felt a little guilty for waking him up, if that were true—but only a little.

"Why do you have my satchel in the first place?" she asked, furrowing her brow at him.

Hiccup rose to his feet and stretched for a moment, before offering her the leather bag back.

"I accidentally broke the strap after I got you into bed last night. I wanted to fix it for you, so I made a new one. I hope that's alright," he said as she took the satchel from him, examining his handiwork.

The new leather was of a better quality than the original leather had been, when she had first bartered for the bag with Trader Johann. There had been a knotwork pattern that had run along the entire length of the original strap, but it had faded over the years. Hiccup had managed to accurately replicate it on the new strip of leather. It really was a beautiful repair job, for as simple as a leather strap was to make. It was another testament to his talent, that he could create things that were so aesthetically pleasing in addition to all of his more practical creations. As she admired it, she felt like the new strap was too good for the rest of the bag.

"It's perfect, Hiccup. Thank you," she said, setting the satchel aside on the drawing desk. She was about to ask him about the longship when something else he had said suddenly resonated with her. "Wait! _You_ were the one who brought me home last night?"

Hiccup nodded and replied, "There was no way you were going to make it there on your own. You…don't remember anything from last night, do you?"

"I remember up until about four or five drinks in," she answered. "Do…you know how that whole thing ended, by the way?"

"Your drinking contest?"

Astrid nodded.

"You kept telling me you won. You were still awake and Snotlout was passed out, so I guess that means you did, but you weren't doing too well. That's when Toothless and I took you home," he explained.

She breathed a sigh of relief. That meant there had been no kissing Snotlout. The peace of mind was its own reward. She also did not have to question or worry about anything else that may have happened in the blacked out parts of her memory. In Hiccup's hands, she was always well taken care of. She gazed back at him, knowing that she was once again indebted to him for looking out for her. It was not like she was keeping score, but he was always finding ways to remind her how wonderful he really was. Sometimes it was as if he was too extraordinary, and it made her feel inadequate by comparison.

"I'm grateful…but I don't know how you managed to convince your father let you slip away from the festival," she said.

"I didn't. Winter Nights was already over by that time and only the cleanup was left. Gobber covered for me," he replied.

"But you stayed out all night flying, afterwards?"

"Yes, I did. I felt I owed it to Toothless."

"Then you came back here and fixed my satchel?"

"Yes. I didn't feel right leaving it until later, since I'm the one that damaged it."

"And your dad's not mad about you being gone the whole time?"

"Nope, but I'll tell you more about that later."

If Hiccup was at all annoyed by her interrogation, he did not show it. He had answered all of her questions calmly and patiently as she tried to piece together the fragments of what had happened last night, to the both of them. There was one last thing she had to know, and her eyes darted to her satchel, then back to him again.

"Did you…find the longship?" she asked hesitantly.

"I did," he answered, taking a step towards her, but it was not a gesture of confrontation so she took a small step forward as well.

"Was that—are you...okay?"

Hiccup just smiled softly at her, and it was a very welcome sight. It had been days since she had seen him do that.

"Astrid…that had to be the sweetest, most thoughtful thing anyone has ever done for me," he replied. "What possessed you to do something like that?"

Astrid sighed heavily. There they were crossing into the treacherous and uncharted waters of _feelings_, but it could not really be avoided any longer.

"You've been so busy taking care of Berk and all of that, so someone needed to take care of you. Consider it as a sort of…"

"Apology?" he suggested.

"Well, maybe it would be, if I was actually one to apologize," she said, daring to tease him a little.

Hiccup actually _laughed_, and Astrid thought it was one of the most beautiful sounds she had ever heard. There were times in their relationship that she was prone to selfishness—was not everyone at some point or another? Still, it was difficult to find emotional satisfaction that compared to making Hiccup happy.

"Then allow me to be the first one to apologize," he said, gently taking her hand in his. "I'm sorry, Astrid. For everything. We've been a mess lately, and it's been all my fault. I let my frustration with my responsibilities get the better of me, and I treated you unfairly."

Thor, damn it. Why did Hiccup always have to be so…_him?_ Leave it to the young man to take the high road whenever he could, taking the blame and the burden of their argument all on himself. Normally, she would let him, because things would quickly be resolved in a manner much more convenient for her. It was just another example of her occasional selfishness, but it had to be easier for him, too. The conflict, whatever it happened to be at the time, would come to an end and he could retreat back into himself. That time however, there were much more serious issues at hand than could be laid to rest by a simple apology and assigning of blame.

"No, Hiccup. It hasn't been your fault—not entirely anyway," she replied. "I haven't made things easy for you."

"Well, actually, you've been trying to help me this whole time…it was more of my dad who—"

"I mean, besides all of that!" she said, shaking her head. "And…I never answered your question from yesterday."

Hiccup quirked an eyebrow and asked, "My question? _What_ question?"

Astrid took a deep breath and said, "You wanted to know why I don't allow you, or anyone else, to define our relationship. You asked me what I was so afraid of. Well, I have the answer for you."

He raised a hand to stop her. "Astrid, you don't have to explain it to me. I love you either way. If it's easier for you not to—"

"Hiccup, stop talking!" she snapped, and he immediately shut his mouth.

She pulled her hand away from his and gazed up into his eyes—those warm and loving green eyes. She was willing to bet there were none like them anywhere else in the world. She was supposed to be the strong one, and she did not think it was fair how much power he had over her. Just a look from him could make her weak. It was utterly ridiculous.

"You know that I have a hard time with things like this," she said. "Feelings…emotions…it's all too sentimental for me. You, on the other hand, can express yourself easily, but you _choose_ not to."

Hiccup just stared back at her uncertainly and replied, "Am I…allowed to respond to that?"

Astrid shook her head and continued speaking. "You're so calm and patient, most of the time. I'm the opposite."

"Astrid, where are you going with—?"

"We're very different."

"Yes, but that's why we _work_," he insisted.

"We do work," she agreed. "So well, in fact, that it frightens me."

Hiccup looked confused.

"Why would it frighten you?" he questioned.

"Because there is no one else like you, Hiccup. There is no one else on Berk that is so opposite of me—to make a relationship like this possible. I'm sure you understand why I'd want to protect it…because imagine what is to become of me, if you weren't there," Astrid explained.

"Where else would I be, if not with you?" Hiccup asked, brow furrowed.

Men could be so dense.

"I don't know. Where were you this entire week? Where do you go when you're angry or upset and you shut me out?" she retorted impatiently.

He did not respond, gazing silently back at her instead. There was a look of understanding in his eyes and it was just one of those things that came with dating someone so intelligent. Hiccup often arrived to the point of the argument before she did.

"You've probably assumed I didn't want to define our relationship just because I didn't like the labels, but that's not it—not entirely, anyway. Maybe that was the reason at first, but the more time I've spent with you the more I've realized I barely_ know_ you. It's easier on me to leave our relationship undefined because…if it's not official…if we aren't really _anything_…then what would I have to lose, if it came to that?"

"Nothing," he said quietly.

"Exactly," she replied. "It'll be easier that way if—"

"No! I mean you have nothing to be afraid of!" he said firmly.

"Right," she responded, rolling her eyes. "So we've been growing apart, just because?"

Hiccup sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of his nose as he closed his eyes. It was the same gesture he always made when he was frustrated and wrestling down the urge to argue.

"Astrid, I know I have been distant these past few weeks. I was angry, but not with you. I was trying to cope with the idea of losing all of my freedom, and I'm sorry if I caused you to doubt my feelings for you in the process," he said. "That is the last thing I wanted. I was just trying to save you from the same frustration I was going through."

"But it's not just these past few weeks, Hiccup, don't you understand? It's been your whole life! Every time you're worried or upset…whenever you have a problem, you shut me out. You shut everyone out. You _always_ have! You put on this brave face, hide behind your sarcasm, and act like everything's fine. How can you tell me I have nothing to be scared of when half of the time I'm with you, you're someplace else?"

Astrid felt her eyes sting a little, but she would be damned before she let a tear fall.

"I'm sorry…," Hiccup said softly.

"You wanted your answer and there it is, Hiccup! That's why I'm afraid to call you my boyfriend, or whatever it is you want me to call you. I can't make that commitment to you, because whenever things get rough you retreat from me. You act like you're doing me some great favor, but you aren't! I'm afraid I'm going to make that commitment, then wake up one day and you won't be there!"

It was Hiccup's turn to get defensive. He replied, "How could you possibly think that of me? After _everything_ I did for you—for us! Astrid, I _love_ you! Isn't that enough?"

"No! Just _words _are not enough! What else am I supposed to think when you're so often determined to go it alone? You've been treating me the same way you did when my fiancé came into the picture! You blew me off so easily then, and you seem just as content to do it now! I'm strong, Hiccup, and I can handle a lot of things…but _that_? No. It's easier to leave things open-ended, as they are. That way, I won't have to worry about losing you…because you will never _really_ be mine to lose."

"That doesn't make any sense! We're together, right? In some form? So I'm already yours…_vaguely._"

"Are you, really? You're so determined to keep your heart protected from everyone, even me…so how can I say I have any kind of claim to it?"

"But you do!"

"Then how come you're scared to let me in? Answer _my_ question, Hiccup! What are _you_ so afraid of?"

They stood there, gazing at each other in silence. Astrid had just laid all her emotions out for him to see, feeling as raw as she had the day they first shout-confessed their love for one another on Dragon Island. As she stared at Hiccup, she could see he was working through everything she had just told him, but of course, she did not even have the slightest clue what he was thinking. It was just so damn frustrating to be dating someone so fiercely private. It made her feel like she was in the relationship alone, carrying it by herself. She knew he loved her, but sometimes simply knowing was not enough.

"Well?" she snapped, impatiently.

If he did not give her some kind of satisfactory answer, she was ready to storm out the door and ignore him for another whole week. He would absolutely deserve it, in her opinion.

"Thank you, for finally answering my question," he said, and Astrid felt like she could punch him for such a feeble response.

"Oh, you're so _welcome_. I hope I've cleared a few things up for you!" she replied, sarcastically.

"You have. Now let me return the favor."

Astrid narrowed her eyes at him, folding her arms across her chest. Whatever he had to say, it had better be good. She was in a vulnerable state, and like an injured dragon, it just made her more prepared to lash out to protect herself.

"I believe you asked me why I keep pushing you away? Why am _I_ so afraid of letting you in?" Hiccup asked, gazing at her intently.

Astrid gave a small nod, urging him to continue.

"Can you imagine what it feels like to be treated, for almost your entire life, like you are worthless? That everything you have to say is insignificant and an embarrassment? I've gotten used to keeping my things to myself, because no one ever cared about what I had to say," he explained.

Astrid was caught off guard. She had to admit that she did not know that feeling. She supposed that Hiccup was the only soul on Berk who did. She felt her anger rapidly deflating as he spoke. Why did he have to be so _him_?

"What did I have to gain by burdening you with my problems, besides needlessly upsetting you, too? You're Astrid Hofferson. You're so high above me, so how could anything I have to say matter? Between the two of us, what do _I _matter? Your peace of mind is worth ten of mine."

Astrid felt like her insides were melting. He had the ability to make her feel so damn girly and she hated him for it. Only he had the ability to make her want to kiss him and strangle him at the same time.

"My problems are not your problems—or rather, they shouldn't be. They haven't been in what... three years? The chiefdom is my burden to bear, and I did not see the reason to involve you, too. Whatever issues I was having with my dad, they were beneath you. All of it was. You have always been untouchable to me, Astrid. Even now that I have you, you're in a different league altogether."

"But I'm _already_ involved! Why can't you see that?" she argued. "I became involved when you took me for that first flight on Toothless! You let me into your life then, and I've never left. Maybe, I tried to, with the whole arranged marriage thing…but I've always been standing here. All you had to do was reach out to me, but you wouldn't. You were happy to let me stand there and watch you suffer time after time, because you felt like you were trying to protect me, to keep me from worrying. You only made me worry more. I don't need protection, Hiccup. Not from you."

"Yes. I can see that now," Hiccup said. "But I'm not your boyfriend, and you're not my girlfriend. Why should I ask you for your help? What right do I have to lean on you so much? How could I take our relationship any further, bring you any closer, to ask anything more from you, when you've been keeping me in the dark this whole time?"

"In the dark about what?"

"You _know_ what! You! Me! _Us!_ Tell me, Astrid—what exactly do you want from me?"

"Everything!" she snapped, though it seemed selfish to say. "I want everything, Hiccup! I want you to be there for me as more than just a physical presence. I need you to tell me when you're upset. I need you to let me in so I can understand, so I can try to help you. I'm tired of our relationship being one big guessing game with you. Stop trying to handle things on your own, because when you do, when you retreat into yourself, you leave me out here alone! There's still so much about you I _don't_ know. I need you to let me in—to give me every piece of you!"

"Take it all, then! Everything I have is yours if you will just do for me one thing…"

"And that is...?"

"Tell me that we're more than this! More than the undefined, ambiguous mess that we are right now!" he demanded. "Tell me there is a future in us. Tell me that, if I give you all of me, we can move forward! I_ want_ to be yours, Astrid, officially…as long as you want to be mine, too."

"Hiccup…"

"Promise me that much, and you can have anything you want from me," he said, softer that time.

Astrid had grown so tired of words. All they ever seemed to do was complicate things. She answered him by throwing her arms around him, hugging him tightly.

"Of course, we're more than all of _that_…you hopeless idiot," she muttered against his shoulder. "I'm your girlfriend, after all."

Hiccup wrapped his arms around her and said, "Yes. You are."

0000000000

Fishlegs had been surprised to wake up in the Great Hall opposite of Tuffnut and Snotlout. The two other young men looked just as bewildered to be there as he was. He had never intended to get drunk, but at some point during the evening, he had been swept up in the festive atmosphere. One tankard had turned into two, which then became three…he may have ended up having four, but he honestly could not remember anything past the third drink. He wondered if his parents knew where he was, or if they were even worried. Considering how much they had imbibed, they might have even forgotten they had a son that night. At any rate, he knew he had to at least get home to Meatlug. If _anyone_ was missing him, it would be her.

He was about to rise from the table when a little green dragon flew into the Great Hall, making a beeline right for him. He instantly recognized the Terrible Terror as Sharpshot, but he was surprised that Hiccup had the time to be sending him air mail. Fishlegs assumed his friend was far too busy doing whatever being future chief required of him to do to spare much thought for anything else.

"Isn't that Hiccup's puny little dragon?" Snotlout asked groggily.

He glared bitterly at Sharpshot as if the dragon was a suitable surrogate for his owner.

"No. Toothless is bigger. Blacker," Tuffnut mumbled, eyelids drooping shut.

"He has _two _dragons, dumbass," Snotlout retorted, smacking him on the back of the head, knocking his helmet askew; Tuffnut awoke with a startled snort.

Fishlegs deftly untied a small scroll of parchment from Sharpshot's leg as Snotlout and Tuffnut hurled creative insults at one another. The note read:

_I'm calling a meeting at the academy. Gather everyone, if you can. Astrid is already with me. See you there, ASAP. –H_

"Huh, that's unexpected…," Fishlegs mused aloud, "Hiccup's called an academy meeting."

"I thought he wasn't the boss anymore," Tuffnut replied, quirking an eyebrow. "Can he even do that?"

"Who gives Gronckle's fat ass if he can or not? I don't care about _anything_ he has to say!" Snotlout snapped. "He grounded my dragon, so he's lost all my respect."

"Did you _ever_ respect him in the first place?" Fishlegs asked with a frown. "Maybe he wouldn't have grounded your dragon if you did."

"I didn't know kissing his ass was a requirement for flying around here!" Snotlout replied, slamming his fist against the table. "If that's the case, Hookfang and I will defect to another island!"

As appealing as it would be to be rid of Snotlout, Fishlegs was loyal to Hiccup. If his future chief, and closest friend, wanted something done, Fishlegs would try to do right by him.

"Look, let's just go see what he has to say," Fishlegs said calmly. "Regardless if he's head of the academy or not, he's still got the authority over all of us—even you can't argue with that."

The veracity of his statement only seemed to worsen Snotlout's foul mood, but the other Viking reluctantly rose to his feet.

"Fine. The sooner we get there, the sooner the lecture's over with," he grumbled.

"I guess I'll go find my stupid sister and untangle her from whatever guy she's wrapped around this time," Tuffnut said. "We'll meet you there."

They parted ways—Tuffnut heading into the village to track down Ruffnut, while Fishlegs and Snotlout headed for the academy. Their pace was sluggish, considering they were still recovering from the night before. Sharpshot had hitched a ride on Fishleg's shoulder, much to the Viking's delight. He scratched the Terrible Terror under the chin and the tiny dragon purred happily, but it was short-lived. As soon as they walked into the arena, Sharpshot spotted Hiccup and immediately abandoned Fishlegs in favor of seeking his owner's attention instead. Hiccup grinned broadly as the dragon settled onto his shoulder. Astrid stood beside him, and both Toothless and Stormfly were present as well.

"Where are Ruff and Tuff?" Astrid asked, hands on her hips.

"Odin only knows," Fishlegs replied with a shrug. "They should be here soon, hopefully."

"Then I'll wait for them," Hiccup said before dismissing Sharpshot; the tiny dragon flew off obediently.

Snotlout just made an aggravated noise and leaned against the wall, glaring at his cousin. Hiccup was used to it and ignored the hostile gesture, focusing his attention on Astrid as they waited for the Thortson Twins. It was then that Fishlegs noticed something was different between the two of them. It was subtle, but the change was definitely there.

For one thing, Astrid and Hiccup seemed incapable of keeping their hands off one another. They were not touching each other in the overtly vulgar manner in which Ruffnut put her hands on her conquests. Instead, Hiccup laid his hand gently on the small of Astrid's back, and she reached up to absentmindedly play with the two small braids in his hair. They were deeply engaged in their conversation, but Fishlegs was more concerned with their behavior than what they were saying. As Hiccup spoke, Astrid was gazing at him intently, as if nothing else existed in that moment besides him. Fishlegs was used to seeing Hiccup act that way towards Astrid ever since they were younger, but he was not used to seeing the roles reversed. After all, Astrid made it a point to communicate that the two of them were not _that_ serious. How she was behaving right then seemed completely contradictory.

Fishlegs glanced at Snotlout, to see if the other Viking had noticed something was different, but he had always been both oblivious and uninterested in Hiccup and Astrid's relationship. Fishlegs doubted he would have reacted unless there was any actual groping going on.

"—Yes, but how does that make you _feel?" _Astrid had just asked Hiccup with a smirk, emphasizing the last word for reasons lost on Fishlegs.

"If you ask me that question one more time, I may just lose my mind," Hiccup replied, playfully rolling his eyes.

Astrid gave him a gentle punch to the arm and they both laughed softly. Fishlegs had no idea what they were talking about, but they both seemed in higher spirits than he had seen either of them in days.

"So, what's the emergency?" came a bored voice.

They all turned to see Ruffnut standing there as Tuffnut sauntered into the arena behind her. They seemed as equally annoyed to be there as Snotlout was, and being that he and Hiccup were rivals of sorts, Snotlout was not going to miss an opportunity to give Hiccup a hard time about it.

"Yeah. We're all dying to know, _chief_," he said mockingly; Astrid narrowed her eyes at him.

She took a step closer to Hiccup in a way that Fishlegs could only describe as protective.

"Don't call me that," Hiccup replied with a frown. "You know I hate it."

"Which is why I do it, naturally," Snotlout said smugly.

"With the rate your training is going, doesn't it seem wise to get into the habit now?" Tuffnut asked, quirking an eyebrow.

As much as he hated to agree, Fishlegs felt Tuffnut had a valid point. As far as Berk's social hierarchy was concerned, Hiccup was at the very top.

"That's why I called you all here. Things have changed for the better, I think," Hiccup said. "My dad has decided to lighten my schedule…quite a bit, in fact. As long as everyone is agreeable, I would like to be reinstated as head of the academy."

An awkward silence followed where they all blankly stared at one another. Fishlegs did not know what to think. He was thrilled that Hiccup was enjoying some measure of freedom again, but the extent to which he expected to be in charge again was still unclear.

"So…you're not training to be chief anymore?" Fishlegs asked, scratching his chin.

"No, I still am. My dad was generous enough to scale back the time commitment and work it around the academy's schedule," Hiccup explained. "He wants me to lead the school again, if it's what I want, and I have to admit that it still is."

Fishlegs was conflicted. He had always dreamed of being recognized as the authority on dragons that he was, and leading the academy in Hiccup's absence had given him that opportunity. He did not necessarily command the same respect that Hiccup did, but he was finally in a position where his wealth of knowledge mattered. He was not keen to give it up even though the academy was, and had always been, mainly Hiccup's project. He was the indisputable expert on dragons, as much as Fishlegs hated to admit it. While Fishleg's book knowledge was superior to Hiccup's, the other Viking had a way with dragons that could not be denied. His connection with the animals was nothing short of awe-inspiring. To welcome him back to the academy as anything less than its leader would be almost degrading, and yet there he was, asking _permission_. Snotlout, of course, was opposed to the whole idea.

"You spend the past few weeks lording over us like some kind of god among Vikings, then you just expect we'll let you back into the academy? Are you _insane_?" he snapped.

"I _never_ lorded—!"

"I seem to recall you grounded our dragons for no reason—like it was no big deal!"

"You were being reckless! You could have seriously injured someone! You wouldn't listen to reason, so what other choice did I have?" Hiccup argued.

"The strict approach doesn't suit you, Hiccup!" Snotlout replied, narrowing his eyes at his cousin. "You don't _deserve_ to be head of the academy!"

"Snotlout!" Astrid hissed, raising her fist.

She took a threatening step forward and Snotlout instantly balked, but Hiccup gently grabbed her by the wrist to stop her.

"No, Astrid. He's right," he told her softly, and Astrid stared back at him, confused.

"I am? Really?" Snotlout asked, also taken aback that Hiccup was agreeing with him.

"There's a first time for everything, I guess," Ruffnut muttered under her breath.

Astrid lowered her fist and stepped aside so Hiccup could address all of them directly.

"I'm sorry I grounded you and your dragons. I was angry and impatient. It was the easiest solution, even if it wasn't the right one. I can understand why you feel I'm unfit to be head of the academy anymore…but that is why I am _asking_ for a second chance, and not demanding it," he explained.

That statement seemed to resonate with Snotlout and the Twins. They began looking considerably less irritated.

"Well, you have my vote," Astrid said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Thank you," he replied with an appreciative smile.

"What about our dragons?" Ruffnut asked, quirking an eyebrow. "We're not much of a dragon academy if we can't fly."

Hiccup walked over to the gated pens containing Barf and Belch and Hookfang. He pulled on each of the levers adjacent to the heavy metal bars and released the dragons contained within.

"I'm restoring your flying privileges, effective immediately," he said.

The Twins whooped and ran forward, throwing their arms around Barf and Belch's necks, respectively.

"Life is so boring without a dragon to blow shit up for you," Tuffnut said, patting the Zippleback fondly. He then ran into the dragon's pen to retrieve his saddle, positively giddy.

"Welcome back, fearless leader," Ruffnut told Hiccup with a grin as she walked by to collect her own riding gear.

Snotlout like to talk tough, but he looked as elated as a five-year-old on Snoggletog to have Hookfang back again. His broad grin faltered when he noticed Fishlegs, Astrid, and Hiccup were staring at him expectantly.

"What?" he demanded, glaring at Hiccup defiantly.

"What about _you_?" Astrid asked. "What's your vote?"

After another moment of deliberation, Snotlout shrugged and replied, "Sure. Fine. Whatever. I don't care."

He then busied himself by attaching all of Hookfang's riding gear, to ward off further conversation on the topic. For all of his complaining and insisting that he had no respect for his cousin, Snotlout always seemed to default to Hiccup's judgment, when push came to shove.

Fishlegs was the only one who had not voiced his decision, and soon it was just him and Hiccup as Astrid walked away to tend to Stormfly, looking satisfied.

"I guess she thinks it's settled, then," Fishlegs said, nodding in Astrid's direction.

"Yes, but I still haven't heard your opinion," Hiccup replied.

"Does it matter, if everyone else wants you back?"

"It matters to me. I want it to be unanimous. I care what you have to say."

"Sometimes it seems like you're the only one who does," Fishlegs admitted.

"Because I know what it feels like to think no one's listening."

Fishlegs sighed, defeated. There was no contest between the two of them. Hiccup was born to lead, in more ways than one.

"I know you are proud of the work you've done, and I'm proud of you, too. I don't want to take that away from you," Hiccup told him. "I'm not going to step on your toes, Fishlegs. If you want to keep your position as head of the academy, I'm okay with it, even if everyone else feels differently."

Thor, damn it. If he was going to say it like _that, _Fishlegs could not deny him the job, or else he was going to come across as the difficult one.

"No, you should be in charge. The position was always yours, anyway. I was only filling in," Fishlegs replied, frowning.

"Thank you. It means a lot to me."

"Sure, no problem!" Fishlegs said, waving his hand dismissively. He was trying very hard to sound gracious, but he suspected he was failing. "I had better get Meatlug. If everyone's going flying, I can't have her feeling left out!"

He turned to leave but then he felt a hand on his shoulder, stopping him. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, turning to face Hiccup again. What more could the other Viking_ possibly_ want from him?

"You know, Fishlegs…planning lessons and everything takes a lot of time. Even with fewer hours spent being chief, I still have other commitments," Hiccup said, his eyes quickly flickering to Astrid and back. "I'm not sure I have the ability to dedicate the necessary time and effort into planning _and _teaching classes for the academy, even if I am in charge."

Fishlegs felt a glimmer of hope in the pit of his stomach, but he did not want to leap to any conclusions before Hiccup said the words.

"What do you plan to do about that?" he asked the other Viking, curiously.

"I was hoping you'd help me out by taking over the academy's more…educational pursuits," Hiccup explained. "I'll more or less just oversee things from now on."

"You'd trust me to do that?" Fishlegs asked.

"Is there anyone else more suited to the job that you can think of?"

Fishlegs grinned broadly and answered, "Absolutely not."

"Good."

"But what does that leave you to do?"

"We still run training missions don't we? We still scout the archipelago and study new dragon behaviors, right? And let's not forget, somebody has to organize the occasional…," Hiccup turned to the other teens and shouted, "_dragon race_!"

The other Vikings cheered, scrambling on to their dragons at once. One could hardly tell they had been feeling run down such a short time ago. Competition usually had a way of reenergizing their little group. Fishlegs did not share the sentiment. He still planned to fly with Meatlug, but at a pace much more conducive to hangover recovery.

"Name the place, Hiccup," Astrid said, patting her Nadder affectionately.

"The sea stacks. I don't want another race through Berk for a while, or my dad might rethink his position on the whole 'free time' thing," Hiccup replied.

Snotlout and the Twins flew off immediately, as if reaching the sea stacks first was part of the race. Hiccup and Astrid lingered behind, laughing.

"How much of a head start should we give them?" Astrid asked, grinning as she slid off of Stormfly.

"Two minutes. That should be plenty of time," Hiccup replied.

"Now, when has two minutes _ever_ been long enough?" she teased in sultry voice.

Fishlegs could not help but assume Astrid was no longer talking about dragon races. The suggestive look Hiccup gave her in return more or less confirmed it. He had never seen the two of them look at each other _that_ way before.

"How long do you need?" he asked her, quirking an eyebrow.

"How long can you give me?" she answered with a mischievous grin.

"The rest of my life."

"I'll take it," she replied grabbing him by his riding leathers.

She pulled him in for a kiss and Hiccup surrendered to her. Everyone had witness the two of them kiss before, but it had always been quick and chaste, suggesting nothing more than a mutually innocent attraction. The way they locked lips in that moment revealed the true nature of their relationship, which others had only speculated at. The two of them were oblivious to Fishleg's presence and he took it as his cue to leave, slipping silently out of the academy.

As he headed home to fetch his dragon, he could not help but reflect on what an eventful Winter Nights it had been. He had gone from being in charge of the entire dragon academy, to regular ol' Fishlegs, to the head teacher. In his mind, it was an even better position to be in, since he was no longer responsible for the actions of the other teens. Hiccup had resumed that role and he was brilliant at it. They had their leader back and everything seemed to make sense again. It was also interesting that Hiccup and Astrid had appeared to have advanced their relationship in some form or another. It was not his business, so Fishlegs was not about to interrupt their passionate kissing to ask—Astrid might very well have killed him. He was a studious individual, though, and he had noticed the differences in their interaction. Even if the two of them were not apt to be forthcoming, it was clear to Fishlegs that the season was not the only thing that was changing…

It had certainly been another successful holiday on Berk.

00000000

Hiccup had no idea how many hours he and his friends had been racing out among the sea stacks. The sun had already dipped beneath the waves by the time he returned to Berk, Astrid flying close behind him on Stormfly. Their dragons landed gracefully outside of the Haddock household and Hiccup dismounted Toothless first. As always, he offered Astrid his hand as she positioned herself to slide off her dragon's back. He assumed she would brush his hand aside as she always did, but to his pleasant surprise, she accepted his act of chivalry. She grasped his hand firmly as she leapt down from Stormfly and into his arms. They held each other tightly for a moment, and Hiccup felt as uninhibited as he had when he had first freed Astrid from her arranged marriage—perhaps, even a little more so.

There was no injury to overcome and no second guessing the nature of their relationship anymore. Astrid had told him, when they had first gotten together, that she hated labels and wanted to leave things undefined. While he had initially understood her hesitancy to define their relationship by others' terms, he had failed to understand her continuing obsession with ambiguity. Finally, she had explained it, and finally, he understood.

He never would have assumed that anyone was actually afraid to lose him. He was still getting used to the idea people actually wanted him around, but it took a few years to undo more than a decade of insecurity. Astrid _had_ been afraid, though, and he was to blame. He had thought he was protecting her by keeping her at arm's length, but he had only been making matters worse for her, and for himself.

It was hard for him to accept the idea that anyone cared enough to share in his burdens. He had been stupid, and he had been selfish. He had assumed he knew better. He thought, all of this time, he was the patient one, putting up with Astrid's reluctance to consider them as any sort of official…_anything_. Really, Astrid had been patient by putting up with his emotional shortcomings. He could not blame her for her hesitation. He had promised her he would do better, and he intended to make good on that promise.

They hurried inside to escape the cold, even though it would have been a stretch to call his house warm. Berk was just synonymous with freezing, no matter where they were. It was still an improvement over the outdoors however, and they took the stairs to his bedroom two at a time, laughing softly the whole way. As he threw open the door, Sharpshot perked up from where he had been snoozing on his bed, tangled up in the blankets for warmth.

"Did you see Ruffnut's face when we lapped them the _second_ time?" Astrid asked gleefully. Competition always put her in a good mood—winning made her positively bubbly.

"Well, maybe if the Twins spent more time flying than fighting, they might actually win sometime," Hiccup replied, holding up a candle for Sharpshot to light; the dragon complied.

"Ha! Against a Deadly Nadder and a Night Fury? Our dragons are in a whole different league!" she said proudly, sitting down on his bed.

Sharpshot immediately curled up against her, purring as she stroked his back.

"I think Barf and Belch has gotten faster over the years," Hiccup stated with a shrug, setting the candle aside to improve their visibility in the dim twilight.

"There you go, again. Always trying to be fair and oh, so generous," she teased him.

He sat down next to her, smiling softly.

"I just don't see the point in being boastful. I seem to recall you feeling like it didn't suit me," he said, quirking an eyebrow at her.

"Well, I'm glad _something_ occasionally makes it through that thick skull of yours," she replied, leaning her head against his shoulder.

"Always, with the kind words," he retorted sarcastically, reaching up to gently stroke her hair.

They sat together in silence, and Hiccup watched the tiny flame dancing above the candle on his bedside table. He could hear Astrid's soft breathing as she idly brushed her fingertips up and down his thigh. He wondered what she was thinking, but she was so inclined to speak her mind that when she was quiet, he respected her privacy. It was another way they were opposite. Astrid occasionally needed her silence, and apparently, Hiccup held too tightly to his. He had always known that about himself, which is why he developed his sarcastic wit and thick skin first place. He would not have been able to survive on Berk if he had not done so. He had never intended for his personal defense mechanisms to be so effective, that they worked against the person he loved the most.

"Hiccup…there's something I've wanted to ask you for a while, but it just seemed so stupid to say," Astrid finally spoke up, gazing up at him.

"You can ask me anything," he replied, gently cupping her cheek with his hand.

"Well, I know I can _now_. I was afraid you wouldn't give me a straight answer before," she said, eyes fluttering closed as she leaned into his touch.

"I made you a promise. I don't want there to be anymore secrets between us, Astrid. So, ask your question."

"Okay, but you're going to think I'm crazy."

He smiled at her and said, "No more than I am."

Astrid laughed softly and leaned in to give him a quick kiss on his cheek.

"Fine. So…you know we're different, and I like to take the forceful approach to most things, including you."

"Yes. I have fallen victim to the honey and the hatchet more times than I care to count," he replied.

"Well, that's kind of my point. Do you ever feel like I'm…not quite the girlfriend you were hoping for?" she asked, gazing him intently.

There was such an earnestness to her question and an honesty to her self-consciousness that Hiccup did not find anything crazy or humorous in it at all. Astrid always carried herself with such self-assuredness that it was easy to assume she had no insecurities. Even then, it was not that she was apologetic about her behavior, but more concerned that she caused him to be unhappy with her—that he was somehow unsatisfied. Such an honest question deserved his most candid answer.

"Astrid, I think you are forceful, demanding, stubborn, and proud. You want things done your way and you don't care who disagrees with you. You have spent your entire life trying to prove that you are just as strong as any man on Berk, maybe even more so. While your beauty has gotten you a lot of attention, many guys run scared at the thought of being with you, because you're just not girlfriend material by popular opinion," he told her, tucking a loose piece of hair back behind her ear.

"Maybe I need to rethink this whole 'tell me everything' idea," she grumbled bitterly, folding her arms across her chest.

"But Astrid…when have I _ever_ cared about popular opinion?" he asked her.

"What are you—?"

"I have known all of that about you since…well, forever, I guess. I have had feelings for you for just as long. You're bold, and I like that. You speak your mind, and I want to hear it. You challenge my authority and that's good! Someone ought to for a change—well, besides Snotlout. He doesn't count. The point is, you're a terrible girlfriend in the traditional sense, but I don't _do_ traditional. There's not a single thing about you I would change, so keep on doing whatever it is you do. It's working for me…it always has."

Astrid just stared at him, wide eyed and Hiccup sighed wearily.

"Is that…is that a good enough answer? I really hope so. I hope I'm being open enough because that was just exhaust—mmphf!"

Astrid had grabbed him by his riding gear and pulled him in, crushing their lips together. She kissed him hard and insistently, and he was content to let her assault him in any way that she chose. Sharpshot gave an aggravated growl and hopped off the bed, bitterly retreating to his corner of the room. Hiccup found it amusing that physical displays of affection could be just as effective as eels when it came to driving dragons away.

"Hiccup," she whispered as they broke apart for air.

"Yes?"

"So, you like me when I'm forceful, huh?" she asked in a seductive voice.

He felt his heart begin to race.

"No. I _love_ you when you're forceful," he replied.

Astrid grinned and pushed him back against the bed.

"Then I think you're going to love what I have in mind," she said, crawling up to straddle his waist.

If _that_ was the result of sharing his feelings with her, Hiccup would spend the rest of his life telling Astrid any little thing she wanted to know. He loved her, and making her happy fulfilled him. It would take time for the openness to come naturally, but Astrid had already proven she was far more patient with him than he deserved. He still felt uncomfortable with the new level of emotional intimacy Astrid expected between them now, and he was still not sure how to go about it. But as Astrid started to plant hot, open-mouthed kisses down his neck, he could not help but feel he was off to a _very _good start.

~FIN.


End file.
